


Untold Omens

by Vaengir



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Drama, Fix-It of Sorts, Friendship, Pre-Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, Self-Insert, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2019-10-30 00:36:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 48,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17818484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vaengir/pseuds/Vaengir
Summary: A wrongness plagues the world of Eos, reshaping events that were once predestined. Stuck in a tale of unknown possibilities, Aracelis seeks to comprehend this alternate story. SI/Self-insert





	1. The Missing Act

 

For generations, the House of Amicitia served the crown as their trusted shields. Sons and daughters of the line endured training at a young age in order to fulfill their role as the sole protectors of their king or queen. With their focus entirely devoted to the crown, the Amicitia relied on the Hesters to act as their chamberlain to handle and maintain their daily livelihood.

The current chamberlain, Jared Hester upheld his role for two generations by the time Clarus Amicitia, shield to the current King Regis Lucis Caelum, took over as head of the Amicitia house. While the man hoped to continue his role for a third generation of Amicitia when Gladiolus succeeds his father, it was unlikely he would be able to do so due to his health and age. Another Hester will have to take Jared's place and continue service to the Amicitia as their chamberlain.

Logically, the next successor would be his son Alder Hester. However, be it fate or luck, Alder had a daughter who was close in age to Gladiolus and so it was decided that the next successors forge a bond from childhood. Under normal circumstances, their machinations might have worked flawlessly, except… there was nothing normal about the circumstances around Aracelis Hester. To those around her, she seemed nothing more than another small house of aristocracy that serves the crown.

In actuality?

"I've reincarnated into an auditing nightmare," muttered Aracelis under her breath as she dragged a hand over her face and covered her mouth. Her eyes glared down at her grandfather's handwritten ledgers for the Amicitia family.

At age sixteen, Aracelis has had close to two decades to adjust to her new life in Eos. For the most part, Insomnia was very much like any major city back in her old life. Tall buildings, dense population, bureaucracy and of course who can forget good old fashion patriotic bigotry and nepotism. If not for the reigning monarchies and the magical walls around the city, she could very well have thought she ended up in some foreign country back home.

Well… that and the whole  _going through puberty again_ bit.

"Stupid muscle-headed Amicitia and their penchant for property damage and weapon repairs!" muttered the girl darkly as she resumed transcribing everything onto her laptop. Her grandfather was far from being tech savvy and had been handling the Amicitia accounts in the most archaic manner.

As the person who will eventually take over his position as chamberlain to the Amicitia, she was the prime candidate for the arduous task of scanning and transcribing everything into her systems… not that any of it will matter in six years' time. Who cares about paperwork and numbers when the world is plunged into a decade of endless darkness? The only reason she bothered with the busywork was for the sake of maintaining appearances.

"Wooh, someone's in trouble!" sang a girlish voice playfully before Aracelis drew her attention away from her screen and glanced up to the door of her grandfather's office.

"Iris," said Aracelis in surprise as she pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and greeted the small 10-year-old. "What are you doing here?"

"Gladdy won't be around at all today!" giggled the young Amicitia as she scurried in and plopped down on the chair across from Aracelis' desk; her hands gripped the edge of the chair between her legs. "Which means you can train me today!"

"We spoke about this already Iris," sighed Aracelis as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "The way I fight is not fitting for a Lady of the Amicitia family."

"But I've never seen anyone that's not dad beat Gladdy!" protested Iris.

"…Kicking him in the balls is not exactly a fair fight," retorted the older teen dryly.

In her previous life, Aracelis took up Krav Maga as a means of self-defense. Where she lived, pepper sprays and tasers were considered illegal, even if used in self-defense, and at the time she was not in a financial position that allowed her to move to a safer neighborhood. She was neither a bodybuilder nor a professional athlete. Krav Maga gave her a fighting chance against bigger and stronger attackers, whereas other disciplines would require years of training and physical conditioning before she could even use it.

Of course, even with a fighting chance, if she faced with more than one opponent at a time she would have to flee. Unlike the Amicitia, Aracelis was not built for combat, be it this life or her last. Her slender physique made it impractical for her to be a fighter. If she had to use a weapon, the only logical choice would be guns. Unfortunately for her, Insomnia regulated firearms heavily. She needed to be 18 with several months of psychological evaluations before she could even apply for a permit. Crownsguard and Kingsglaive were the only exceptions to the rule. As the chamberlain successor to the Amicitia, if she attempted to apply to either group, she would come off as not only questionable, but suspicious.

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean it doesn't count," chirped Iris. "Please Arie! Pretty please! I promise I won't use it on anyone except Gladdy!"

"Pft," snorted Aracelis in amusement. "Even if I teach you, you're not going to be able to do anything to your brother until you grow a couple of more feet."

"Ariiieeee!" whined Iris with a pout as she jumped up onto the chair and planted her small hands on the desk.

The image was absurdly cute and Aracelis found it hard-pressed to refuse the young Amicitia. She managed to hold out for mere minutes longer before her resolve caved. After saving her work and properly storing away her personal laptop, she followed the younger girl to the estate's private gym and… proceeded to teach the girl yoga instead.

"This isn't what you used on Gladdy!" complained the girl as struggled to get into the bridge-wheel pose.

"Got to build your basics first," chuckled Aracelis as she maintained the pose with even breaths.

Despite yoga's pretentious hipster reputation in her previous life, it was legitimately a good method to segue into building flexible and essential muscles for combat. Sure, compared to intense cardio workouts and weight-training it's unimpressive to spectators. However, it wasn't like Aracelis was trying to impress anyone. As long as she reached her goal in the quickest manner, she could care less about what others thought.

"Ngghh, gah!" screamed Iris as she dropped to the ground in defeat.

"Catch your breath and try again," chided Aracelis absently as she slowly lifted one leg at a time until she achieved a handstand. Her body trembled and her breath hitched as she struggled to maintain her balance.

"… What on Eos are you two doing?" a confused voice asked from the gym's entrance.

"Gladdy!" yelped Iris in surprise as she scrambled to sit upright from where she sprawled a moment ago. "I thought you were going to be gone all day!"

"And you are supposed to be studying," retorted Gladdy or more commonly Gladio, with his arms crossed. "Not bothering Arie to teach you weird stuff."

"As if you don't teach weird stuff yourself Gladio," drawled Aracelis as she allowed her feet to fall to the ground and righted herself up again. "Shouldn't you be training the prince today?"

"You were going to see Noct today?" Iris chimed in.

"Prince Charmless played hooky," rumbled Gladio in annoyance.

"…And you're letting him?" noted Aracelis with a raised brow.

"He wishes," scoffed Gladio. "I need you to access his expense reports and narrow down where the hell he spends his time."

"And… what makes you think I can do that?" frowned the bespectacled-brunette "I work with your family accounts, I don't have access to the prince's expense reports."

"…I don't know, you're smart. Figure something out for me!" exclaimed Gladio.

"The prince is a privileged and sheltered 14-year-old boy," rationalized Aracelis. "Where do you expect him to go? He's probably at the movies with his friends or bombing his allowance money at the arcade and—"

A cheeky grin crossed Gladio's face as Aracelis groaned in realization.

"…You want a list of all the theatres and arcades by the prince's school now, don't you?" sighed Aracelis as she slipped a hand underneath her glasses rubbing her face in annoyance.

"See, I knew I was right coming to you," grinned Gladio cheekily as he rested an arm on the doorframe.

"You figured that out already on your own," glared Aracelis in accusation. "You're just too lazy to look up the information yourself!"

"But you do it so much better, organizing the most efficient route to hit all of them in record time," reasoned Gladiolus.

"Do it yourself," refused Aracelis.

"Have a heart Arie," pleaded Gladio with mock puppy-eyes.

"Gaah! Arie make him stop! He's being creepy!" gagged Iris as she jumped up and ran behind the older girl.

"Hey!" shouted the older Amicitia with indignation.

"Well you are!" teased the smaller girl sticking her tongue out childishly.

"She's got you there," snorted Aracelis in amusement much to his annoyance.

"Whatever, can you get me that list or not?" grounded Gladiolus.

"Fine, fine," sighed Aracelis in resignation. She walked towards the bench to pick up her towel and hoodie before the Amicitia siblings followed her back to her grandfather's office.

For Aracelis, she'd known Gladio her whole life. As children, he attempted to lord over her with his position as her future employer. She learned to ignore him, at least until she was able to toss him over her shoulder and dropkick him. If Gladio learned anything from the experience, it was Aracelis' extreme methodical disposition. Even if she does not appear to be angry, it's only because she's biding her time until she finds the right moment to enact retribution.

It made her an excellent planner and Gladio openly took advantage of her skills out of practicality. If Aracelis had to describe her relationship with Gladio in a single word, she would say it's vexing. Not because she hated the older teen. It's more the fact they knew each other too well. Having grown up together, he knew how to drive her mad and she knew how to put him in his place if need be. It's a wonder they haven't killed each other yet.

"Here, now get out of my face," shooed Aracelis after she handed him a printout with a markup route around the city center where he would most likely find the wayward prince.

"Thanks," said Gladio as he glanced over the sheet. "Ugh… why are there so many of these places? You wanna come along and help?"

"The prince is your responsibility, not mine," grumbled Aracelis.

"I need someone to man the car while I run in and search. It's going to be impossible to get around with public transportation and still get the prince back to the Citadel in time," reasoned Gladio.

"No," refused Aracelis. He probably wanted her to come along so he could man the car himself and have her run in and out of the arcades to look for the prince.

"Fine, be like that," groused the older teen. His hand crumpled the sheet in his hand before he turned his heel to leave the room.

"What a grumpy butt!" said Iris. Her cheeks puffed up in indignation. "Come on Arie, let's go back to training."

"Hmm…" Aracelis frowned as she watched Gladio's retreating form. Now that she thought about it, it would take some time for him to do everything himself, especially with rush hour coming in.

"Arie?" called out Iris as she tugged at the older girl's sleeve.

"Let's do a rain check on the training for today Iris," suggested Aracelis as she patted the girl's head.

"But you promised!" whined Iris.

"Sorry, we'll train next time okay?" The older teen apologized before she circled round her desk and made her way out the door.

Down the hall, she could see Gladio studying the sheet she printed out for him as he briskly made his way towards the garage. Maybe he did intend for her to man the car while he went after the prince. With a resigned sigh, Aracelis shook her head and sprinted to catch up with the older teen. Gladio paused when he heard her coming close and glanced back with a questioning gaze.

"You owe me," noted Aracelis.

"Sure," grinned Gladio as they made their way to the garage.

Once there, Aracelis took the wheel. Though she was technically under aged, Gladio had gotten special permissions for her to take her driving exams earlier as a birthday present. Of course, the car she used belonged to the Amicitia family, but between her and Gladio, they managed to convince Clarus it was a necessity.

"Doesn't the prince have minders?" asked Aracelis as she drove away from the Amicitia estates and out towards the highway.

"He gave them the slip," grumbled Gladio as he studied the map she printed out for him earlier.

"How?" frowned Aracelis.

Ironically, in all the years she has lived in Insomnia, she has never formally met Noctis. Beyond Iris' girlish crush and second-hand stories from Gladio, she didn't see a point in doing so. Bad enough she had no clue how she ended up in this world, but knowing what's to come made it worse. Her grandfather of this life had died in the original story because of his association through the Amicitia family. She'd hate to see how much bigger the target would be on her and her family if she dared to involve herself in the prince's life.

As she cannot join Crownsguard nor Kingsglaive, it's best she remain a stranger to him. Even more so now since he entered high school. This is the year the prince develops his closest bonds to his future Crownsguards. She didn't want to risk any disruption. The fate of the world depended on them after all.

"He learned how to warp and phase a while ago. The little shit's been using the warp escape his guards," muttered the older teen.

"Sounds like he needs better guards," commented Aracelis as she drove off the highway and onto the local streets.

"More like a thorough ass whooping," rumbled Gladio. "As a prince, he needs to know every action he makes has consequences. He can't just act like a child."

"Ignoring the fact that the prince is a child," noted Aracelis dryly. "Corporal punishment is rather archaic don't you think?"

"Sometimes the classics are the best teachers," dismissed Gladio casually before he sat up and tapped the dashboard. "Stop here, I see him."

"Hmm?" hummed the brunette as she drew her attention briefly away from the road to follow his line of sight.

True to his word, Noctis was idly strolling down the street. However… something wasn't right. Aracelis' eyes narrowed as she hastily double-parked the car and allowed Gladio to run out after the boy. She watched as the larger teen planted a hand on Noctis' shoulder. The young prince barely glanced back, but at the sight of Gladio, a soft scowl crossed his face. The two began a cold exchange as Noctis dismissively brushed off the older teen's hand from his shoulder.

Aracelis frowned as the wrongness continued to grow with each exchange. She heard from Gladio countless times about the prince's slothfulness, but what she saw was closer to lethargy. She never gave it much thought since she assumed it was nothing more than exasperated fondness. However, seeing them now, she found herself reevaluating her initial assessment.

From what she remembered, Noctis and Gladio were prone to butt heads with one another from time to time. However, the longer she observed them, the more she noticed an iciness between the two. Back straight and expression cold, Noctis looked as though he couldn't care less for Gladio's existence. The Amicitia teen wasn't any better, towering over the younger boy with his chin raised and his eyes glaring down.

Gladio had to forcibly steer Noctis towards the car and ripped the back door open. He waited only long enough for the younger boy to get his legs in before slamming the door shut and taking the front seat.

"Your highness," greeted Aracelis, but the dark-haired boy ignored her in favor of resting his chin on the back of his hand and staring out the window.

"Ignore him," said Gladio as he buckled in. "Let's head back to the Citadel."

Aracelis spared a glance at the solemn prince before she merged back into traffic and made her way to the Citadel. There was something oddly familiar about the way Noctis acted despite the wrongness of it all. She focused on driving to distract herself from the niggling thoughts, but in the end it served to worry her more. By the time they reached their destination, dusk had begun to set with a lovely orange hue tinging the building's white surface as the sky darkened to night.

"Thanks for the help Aracelis," said Gladio once he got the prince out of the car.

"…Sure," murmured the brunette as she eyed him with furrowed brows. Gladio never calls her by full name unless they were in formal company. The only other person around now was the prince, it made no sense for him to act like this around him. Unless… "Will you need a ride back to the estates later?"

"I'll make my way back on my own," replied Gladio with a questioning gaze, it was unlike her to offer something like this. "You can head back first."

"If the prince requires a ride as well, I don't mind coming back to pick you up," offered Aracelis, drawing a look of surprise from Noctis and a scoff from Gladio.

"To where? By the time he's done with training, it'll be his curfew, he won't be able to go anywhere," noted Gladio in bewilderment. "Unless you  _want_ to come pick me up."

"Maybe when I no longer have standards or any modicum of self-respect," replied Aracelis airily. She enjoyed the indignation on Gladio's face and Noctis' hasty attempt to hide his snicker behind a well-timed cough. The hint of mirth suited the prince far more than the solemnness he displayed in the car. "I hope you have a good evening, your highness."

"Night," dismissed Noctis with a wave as he turned to head back to the Citadel in better spirits.

Gladio shot her a confused, yet betrayed glare before trailing after the prince. With both of them gone, Aracelis steered her car through the roundabout and out the front gates. From what she observed, it seems like the prince was still living at the Citadel instead of his own apartment like she remembered.

Not yet a glaring concern, since it's quite possible he moved at a later date. Yet, the exchange between the future shield and prince disturbed her. She couldn't stop herself from fidgeting, tapping an irregular beat on her steering wheel.

Rather than sit through traffic and torment herself further with these thoughts, Aracelis decided to take a quieter path back home. Except… she probably should've sat through the traffic. The street lights were much dimmer on the quieter streets and there were no pedestrian sidewalks. When a jogger came across her car, she barely managed to slam her foot on the break in time. A look of panic crossed the blond's face before he tripped over his feet and hit the ground.

"Shit!" whispered Aracelis, her face white with terror as she yanked up her brakes. With her car secured, she kicked her door open and scrambled out of her car to check on him. "Hey! You okay?"

A hefty teen sat barely a foot away from the front of the car, stunned and shaken by the close call. At a quick glance over, he didn't seem hurt, but she rather not risk a lawsuit.

"Hey, are you okay?" She repeated, this time with more effort. The wide-eyed young man turned his attention to her.

"Y-Yeah," stuttered the teen. He waved off her concern and attempted to recompose himself. "I'm fine."

"Thank goodness." Aracelis breathed in relief as she offered a hand to help him up. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. Maybe next time you should wear some reflectors if you decide to jog at night. You know… less likely someone would hit you."

"Umm… I guess I probably should've done that," chuckled the teen sheepishly as he grabbed onto her hand. "I usually run down this block because cars rarely go through here. Guess I should've been more careful…"

Aracelis grimaced, partially from the weight, but mostly because this really was her fault. "Are you going to be alright? I can drive you home or to the hospital if you need it."

"No, no, I'm fine you don't have to go through the trouble to—" continued the teen before one of residents in the neighborhood stuck his head out from his house to check on the commotion.

"Is everything all right Prompto?" asked the man. He eyed the blond, the car and Aracelis in turn.

"Mr. Colias!" yelped the teen nervously as he scratched the back of his neck. "Everything's fine! Just a little acci—I mean misunderstanding! Nothing happened."

"Hmm?" frowned the man as he eyed Aracelis once more. "You sure? I can call the cops for you if you need it son."

"I'm sure!" continued Prompto, doing his best to dissuade the local resident from getting the authorities involved.

Any other time, Aracelis would have tried to convince him to mind his own business. However, she was more preoccupied by the hefty teen she nearly ran over. The man called him Prompto, the prince's gunslinger high school friend turned Crownsguard.

Blond hair, blue eyes and glasses were a bit too general of a description to accurately identify someone, but what were the chances of someone with those identifiers to also be named Prompto? Not to mention, this Prompto seemed like a good 30-40 pounds heavier than average with roughly 30% body fat. Not obese, but not exactly battle ready either.

"Um… are you okay miss?" asked Prompto meekly as he waved a hand in front of her face to catch her attention.

"My apologies," said Aracelis with a shake of her head to gather herself. "If you don't mind me asking, do you happen to attend Mysidia Academy by chance?"

"Oh, uh yeah, why do you ask?" replied the blond with a confused tilt to his head.

It really was Prompto, Aracelis concluded worriedly. From the looks of it, the teen wasn't friends with the prince yet. The sense of wrongness returned again, this time more daunting than when she was with Gladio and Noctis.

"Just a passing curiosity," answered Aracelis. She fought back a grimace at her next actions. "Hey listen, I feel really bad for nearly running you over, so…"

She walked back to her car and rummaged through her bag for a business card. While it was rather odd for someone her age to carry business cards, she enjoyed the convenience of not having to write down her contact information whenever she needed to share it with someone.

"Here's my card, feel free to call me if you need something," offered Aracelis as she made her way back to Prompto.

"What? No!" cried Prompto in confusion before he waved his hands frantically to decline. "It's okay, I don't need anything."

"I insist," pressured Aracelis. She grabbed hold of his hand and curled his fingers over the card.

Judging by his personality, she doubted that he would ever bother, but this gave her an excuse to approach him at a later date if need be. Something is sorely wrong with this world and she must figure out what.


	2. Verisimilitude

 

In the week after she met Prompto, Aracelis spent every free and waking moment she had engrossed in research on whatever she could find regarding the history of Eos. Without knowing the cause of the change, her only option was to delve into every possible avenue of research. She began the blind search on the Astrals, wary of what she may find.

While she hadn't followed Eos' creation and development in her last life, she knew it was originally part of the nightmare called Fabula Nova Crystallis or better known as Final Fantasy XIII. That world was the most needlessly convoluted and poorly executed piece of work she's seen in her life. There were plot holes within its plot holes. The storytelling was so bad, the characters practically broke the fourth wall to tell the player the transitioning dungeon to the next plot point was purely for level grinding. Needless to say, she disliked that series with a passion.

As she delved into the cosmogony collection, she feared to find any mention of Fal'Cie or L'Cie, XIII's version of the Astrals and their unfortunate gofer heroes. It was one thing to deal with temperamental gods, but another thing altogether if they decide to enslave you as their permanent punching bag. She barely wanted to work for the Amicitia family, there was no way she would be willing to work for those ostentatious gods.

Fortunately, the taint Eos contained were of daemons, cranky Astrals and the accursed. While disappointed to find the origin of the gods not a culprit of the change, it was also relieving for Aracelis. She needn't contend with forces she cannot hope to challenge. However, it also meant she had to look elsewhere for answers.

A frustrated sigh escaped Aracalis as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her meticulously neat bun had become a frayed mess. During the course of her research, she could not help burying her fingers through her hair out of sheer aggravation. Any other time she would have stopped to fix what she deemed as an unkempt birds nest back to her standard of acceptable. However, when faced with the task of rifling through over 2000 years' worth of history of the royal families because her research with the Astrals reached a dead end, she was less inclined to worry over her personal comfort.

With the back of her knuckles pressed against her lips, she tapped her pen loudly against the desk with her other hand. It was all she could do to contain her nervous energy. The kingdom of Lucis had over a hundred kings with King Regis as the 113th. Tenebrae likely had just as many oracles in the Nox Fleuret family and lastly, she can't imagine what it would be like to go through Niflheim's Aldercapt family.

"Damn it…" muttered Aracelis under her breath as she twirled the pen in her hand and planted it firmly against the desk. There had to be a better way to approach this.

"Eh-hem," coughed a patronizing voice. "If you don't mind  _Aracelis_ , there are other people using the library too."

Aracelis bit back a retort as she glanced up to the speaker. A desk away from hers was a fellow classmate and self-declared rival, Marcus Flavius. Though, she mentally nicknamed him Flabio for acting like an obnoxious imitation of Gladio. Except he had less tact and even less musculature. To Aracelis, the young man felt pretentious and narcissistic. An idiot who overcompensates because of self-image issues. She had no clue why he decided to compete with her academically when Ignis Scientia dominated the rankings in their year.

Insomnia's education system works with a competitive model. Exam results of all students were public record, posted for all to see. Aracelis regularly alternated between second and third with a rare few incidences of first. If she didn't know who Ignis was, she might've faced a crisis over her self-worth.

In her previous life she developed her studying habits through much mental anguish and tears. Her excellent grades were the product of a strenuous hell experience, otherwise known as being a college student. For Ignis to constantly beat her would have struck a blow to her ego, if she didn't already know that grades meant nothing for this future.

"My apologies," replied Aracelis icily. "For a moment I forgot you existed."

Flabio's smirk remained on his face despite her biting sarcasm. The corner of Aracelis' lips quirked up as she rested her elbows atop the desk and she loosely clasped her hands with only her fingers intertwined.

"How goes studying?" drawled Aracelis. "Any hopes in beating Ignis this time?"

"As if you could beat him," retorted Flabio, reminding her of her failings. "You're not that much better than me."

"True," admitted Aracelis in amusement, a sly grin tugged at her lips. "But I'm still better than  _you_."

"You're a bitch Hester, you know that?" Flabio declared glaring at her self-satisfied face.

"So I've been told," replied the brunette dryly before switching over to a mocking lilt. "Shall I vacate the library for you to nurse your ego?"

Scowling deeply, Flabio returned his attention to his books. Aracelis' grin widened at the petty victory, but ultimately decided to pack her things to leave the library. With her research at a dead end, she might as well go off and get some food before afternoon classes start.

It was impossible for her to sit through a meal whenever she was on a project. It often resulted in her living off granola bars and coffee for weeks at a time, a bad habit she can't seem to get rid of even in this new life. Even as she dug into her food, she still found her thoughts drifting back to her notes.

There was plenty of information available to her regarding the history of the Caelum and Nox Flueret lineage. Unfortunately, with the older generations, she needed to delve into the archives in the Citadel as it was unlikely for public libraries to carry text as old as the kingdom itself. However, information on Niflheim's Aldercapts was near impossible to obtain within the walls of Insomnia. As the empire's main enemy for the last hundred years, anything that she finds will likely be propaganda to be taken with a grain of salt.

"…Great," muttered Aracelis. Her spoon stilled as she suddenly lost all appetite to continue.

It wouldn't be so bad if she had some direction, but… her thoughts trailed off when she spotted the familiar figure of Ignis Scientia walking pass the cafeteria. Surely, if anyone was to know something about the history of the Lucian kings, he was probably the best person to start with. Even if he doesn't know everything there was to know about them, he could at least give her some direction on where to look.

Except… she seldom spoke to the green-eyed advisor beyond group assignments. Like with Noctis, she feared her interactions with him might change the course of the world for the worse. However, with how things were now, it shouldn't matter if she approached him. It definitely beat blindly searching like she had for the past week. Mind made up, Aracelis hastily disposed of her lunch and sped-walked to catch up with the future advisor.

"Ignis!" She called out to the taller teen before he rounded the corner. He paused at his name and glanced back to see her hurrying to his side.

"…You are…" started the teen as he took a moment to identify the brazen brunette. "Aracelis Hester, you serve the Amicitias correct?"

Trust Ignis to identify her by her family's connection before all else. Though she supposed he would need to since he's technically in line for the title of Count when his uncle passes. The facts are that the Amicitia family was technically considered Knights, but since they've served for so many generations, they ranked above most knighthoods. If they were to stand on ceremony, the Scientia ranked above the Amicitia in court. However, on the battlefield, the roles would be reversed.

The Hester family held no title or court position; however, they can represent the Amicitias, if they choose not to appear in court for whatever reason. Not that it happened often considering the Amicitias usually acted as the King's Shield. Even so, Ignis might take her request the wrong way and view her as a tawdry social climber.

"Yes," nodded Aracelis before skipping all pleasantries and getting straight to the point. "I would like to request your assistance on a personal project of mine on the Lucian kings. I'm willing to compensate you for your time."

"That sounds like an interesting project," noted Ignis, nudging his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But if you do not mind me asking, why me in particular?"

"In short of a historian, who better to ask than someone slated to work for the crown?" reasoned Aracelis.

"…I'm not slated to work for the crown," replied Ignis with a bewildered frown.

"You're not…" Aracelis trailed off realizing at no point did she ever hear someone say he was going to be the prince's advisor. However, she refused to allow this to throw her off. If Ignis wasn't Noctis' advisor then she needed to fabricate even more of an incentive to get close to him. "No matter, you're still the best student in the school and I could use a second set of eyes."

"May I ask why you are researching the kings?" queried Ignis.

"…I saw Prince Noctis recently," began Aracelis. "He seemed unnaturally lethargic for his age."

"…Could be a lack of sleep," suggested the disinterested teen and began turning away. "…Most boys his age tend to have one thing… or another that keeps them up at night."

With the subtle entendre, Ignis began to leave. Aracelis felt her heart drop. She couldn't let this happen! Noctis needed him. Hell, his presence alone opened the possibility for an alternate ending. Without thinking, her hand lashed out and gripped tightly onto Ignis' arm, determined to keep him in place.

"But it's not just the prince!" snapped the brunette, desperate to keep his attention. "I noticed it with his majesty as well during a recent interview on TV."

Ignis now turned to face her again, his eyes glanced briefly at her death grip on his arm. Belatedly, Aracelis realized she overstepped her boundaries and hastily released her hold.

"Surely this is conjecture on your part," rationalized Ignis as he adjusted his glasses. The unexpected jostling had knocked them askew.

"I know I sound insane and none of it makes sense! But you have to believe me! There's something wrong with the king and the prince!" said Aracelis, near hysterical at this point. "I know for certain with your help I'll be able to prove it. Don't you think it's our duty to make sure they're okay?"

"I suppose… I am amiable to the idea," agreed the green-eyed young man reluctantly. "When do you propose we begin this research?"

"How's your schedule?" asked Aracelis as she pulled out her phone to compare calendars with his.

The two eventually settled on comparing notes during their lunch hours, but they would conduct their research separately. Outside of school, they each had a number of responsibilities to attend to. She supposed even though the young man was no longer Noctis' future advisor, he was still slated for other work as the future Count Scientia. Between their schedules, meeting at school was the only free slot they both shared.

Aracelis technically did have some time after school before she needed to return to the Amicitia house to complete her tasks for the day. However, she learned a life time ago that breaks and downtime were essential to keeping her productivity and sanity intact. Hence…

"Perish you damn—" growled the bespectacled brunette under her breath as she rapidly pulled the trigger and gunned down the zombies hordes on the arcade screen.

Among the noise of the arcade, a crescendo of horrifying string instruments blasted through the speakers accompanied by the moaning, groaning and splattering of zombies. The score counter steadily climbed in numbers with each kill. It was practically routine by this point for Aracelis to make her way to an arcade and destress for an hour with zombie slaying.

"Damn it," grumbled Aracelis as a bloody game over painted across the screen. With a frustrated sigh, she deposited the gun controller back into its holster. However, as she turned to grab her bag to leave, she spotted a familiar face staring at her in surprise. "…Your highness?"

Determined to maintain a certain image, she refuses to let her family and peers catch her lollygagging and playing games. She often chose an out of the way arcade to avoid anyone who could recognize her. The prince seemed to share the same idea… Maybe she could use this.

"…Gladio's not with you," stated Noctis as he glanced around for his shield.

"Do you want him to be here?" asked Aracelis with a raised brow.

"Not really," muttered Noctis.

"Well then… Let's keep this a mutual secret, shall we?" suggested Aracelis offhandedly.

"Wait… you're hiding from Gladio too?" frowned Noctis. "I thought you guys were friends."

"Have you met that muscle head?" retorted Aracelis and drew a snort of laughter from the younger boy. "You barely know him and you don't even want to be in same room as him. I grew up with him, trust me when I say that from time to time, a safe haven from him is required."

"Yeah… I guess so," agreed Noctis with an awkward grin.

"So…" continued Aracelis with a wave towards the arcade machines. "Which game do you normally play here?"

"Er…" Noctis uttered with uncertainty, but eventually shrugged and pointed to the game she was playing previously.

"How about we do one game and then I'll give you a ride back to the Citadel?" suggested Aracelis.

"What? Why?" protested Noctis.

"One thing you need to learn about Gladio, if you stay in one place long enough, he  _will_  find you," noted the older girl. "If you want to avoid him, you have to keep moving and also do something so obvious that he would think you're stupid."

"…Like going back to the Citadel?" repeated Noctis.

"It doesn't work all the time, but it will throw him if you do it sparingly," advised Aracelis with a wry grin tugging one corner of her lips. She set down her bag and moved to give the machine a fond pat as if to invite him once more. "Well, what do you say, your highness?"

"Huh…" Noctis glanced at her thoughtfully, but ultimately he moved to grab a gun.

Aracelis did the same and popped in the necessary coins. The game started with a ghoulish moan and the two of them proceeded to gun down as many zombies as possible. As they played, she couldn't help but review what she's found so far. Prompto and Noctis weren't friends. Ignis wasn't his advisor. And Gladio? The Amicitia heir looked like he was more willing to step aside for someone to kill the prince rather than throw his body in the way to protect him.

It suddenly dawned on her, it was as though the events of Brotherhood never happened.

Alarmed by the thought, Aracelis' aim faltered and a zombie broke through the ranks. Noctis was quick to cover her mistake, but her mind had gone into overdrive. The four of them developed their bond during the events of Brotherhood. Without it, naturally they would be near strangers. What didn't happen that was supposed to? What ultimately brought them together?

"Are you playing or what?" grumbled Noctis. He turned to glare at her, but the annoyance slipped from his face when he noticed the conflicted expression on hers. "Hey…"

"My apologies," muttered Aracelis as she looked at her gun. Her sullen expression reflected back at them on the flashing game over screen. A slow counter descended, indicating their time to continue was dwindling. "Do you wish to play again?"

"…Nah," said Noctis with a shake of his head. "You look like you have something on your mind. Just drive me home."

"Of course," said Aracelis dutifully. They gathered their belongings and walked in an awkward pall of silence back to her car. The smell of the city air was a welcome change from the stuffy atmosphere of the arcade.

Without knowing the full story, she had no clue how to talk to the prince. She didn't want to ruin the opportunity to fix things when there was a chance that he didn't want to talk to her. It didn't help that she was clueless to what stopped the events of Brotherhood. The uncomfortable silence worsened when they got into the car and made their way back to the Citadel.

The only solace she had was the young prince's preference to sit in the backseat.

_Ring…Ring…_

"Excuse me," apologized Aracelis as she glanced at her dashboard to check the caller. She didn't recognize the number, but she did give Prompto her contact information. So, she answered anyway. "Hello?"

" _Hello, is this Miss Aracelis Hester by any chance?_ " asked a professional woman's voice coming from the car's speakers.

"Speaking, who may I ask is this?" inquired Aracelis with caution.

" _I'm Nurse Rhea, calling from the Remedium General Hospital regarding the patient Prompto Argentum._ "

Aracelis felt her stomach dropped. Her grip tightened over her steering wheel as she did her best to focus on the road and still listen to the call.

"The hospital?" Aracelis all but snapped. "What happened? Is he okay?

" _Due to hospital policy we cannot disclose patient information over the phone. However, as Mr. Argentum's parents are unreachable, he supplied us with your contact information. If you can come to the hospital as soon as you can, we can discuss what happened further."_

"Of course, I'll be there as soon as I can. Thank you for letting me know," said Aracelis gratefully before she ended the call. "Your highness, can you please put on your seat belt?"

"That sounded serious," noted Noctis as he reached for his seatbelt and buckled in. "You can head to the hospital first if you like."

"But your highness!" protested Aracelis as she glanced at him through the mirror.

"I don't feel like heading back to the Citadel yet," dismissed Noctis as he stared pointedly back at her.

"…Very well," sighed Aracelis. "But you may wish to call for an escort back to the Citadel. I am uncertain how long this may take."

Noctis simply hummed in response, digging into his pocket to occupy himself with his phone.

Aracelis hastily entered the hospital's address as the prince sent out his text. Neither of them exchanged another word as she gripped the wheel and stepped on the accelerator. She wasn't crazy enough to speed through the highway with the prince in her car. It would be hard to explain to the traffic police why she had the Crown Prince. However, she did risk matching the speed limit and occasionally going above it.

By the time they made it to the hospital, she was faced with another conundrum. To leave the prince alone in her car or bring him along and potentially create a scene. In hindsight, she probably should have driven the prince home first, but what's done was done. She didn't bother asking if he wanted to join after she parked and abruptly left the car. If the prince wanted to come, he could well decide on his own. She needed to make sure Prompto was okay.

"I'm here for Prompto Argentum," said Aracelis in near breathlessness as she got to the registration desk. "Nurse Rhea contacted me earlier that he is currently being hospitalized here."

"And who are you to the patient?" asked the receptionist.

Who is she to Prompto? Aracelis recalled the nurse who contacted her mentioned that she couldn't get a hold of his parents. If something happened to Prompto and the hospital needed a medical proxy to authorize treatment, she wouldn't be able to help unless she was related in some manner. She had no choice, but to lie. She could be arrested for fraud, but it was the best she could come up with for the time being to make sure he's okay. Aracelis straightened her posture and evened out her breathing to compose herself.

"I'm his temporary guardian. His parents left him in my care while they're out of town," lied Aracelis.

Age wouldn't be an issue, most Kingsglaive and military recruits were eligible to serve at the tender age of 16. To her shock and dismay, Insomnian law states if they're old enough to die for their country, they're old enough to participate as legal adults. The thought still unsettled Aracelis from time to time, but in this incident, it was to her benefit that Insomnia's law system was so skewed.

"Room 15," said the receptionist pointing her towards the double doors.

"Thank you," said Aracelis before she turned her heel and hurried off.

The rooms the receptionist mentioned were merely curtained off areas with individual stretchers used for accidents and emergencies. A number of beds were already occupied by patients with varying levels of injuries. Aracelis held her breath and feared for the worst as she approached number 15. She still had no clue what happened to Prompto, but at the sight of the number, she hastened her step.

"Prompto!" called out Aracelis as she pulled back the curtain.

The blond spluttered in surprise at the sight of her. His wide blue eyes stood out against the cuts and scrapes on his face and the neat bandage around his head. "Miss Aracelis, I didn't expect you to actually come. Well, Nurse Rhea said she'll call, but um—"

"Are you okay?" Aracelis interrupt him before he could continue his fumbling words. "What happened?"

"Ehe…It looks kinda bad huh?" Prompto laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I um…got hit by a car?"

"You got…" The older girl's eyes widened at sudden flash of headlights against the darkness of night replaced her vision.

Her ears rang with screeching tires in the distance, followed by a rapidly decelerating heart monitor. Hand over her mouth, she mentally cursed at her psyche's timing on assaulting her with the trauma of her previous death. She could barely keep herself from hyperventilating at the taste of coppery blood filling her mouth. She was lucky it didn't assault her last week when she nearly ran over Prompto, but this wasn't any better.

"But I'm fine really!" said Prompto in a hurry. He flailed his hands in a panic to reassure her, thankfully unaware of the inner demons she was facing. "Honestly, they said I'm good to leave, but um… I'm a minor and they kind of need a chaperone to… see… me home?"

"...Okay," agreed Aracelis weakly as she pulled her shaking hand away from her mouth. "Let's get you signed out and back home."

Somehow, she managed to recompose herself long enough to flag down a nurse to get the appropriate papers filled out. She needed to get him out before her nerves gave up. Her self-proclaimed temporary guardianship won't hold up for long if they decide to question her while she was in this state. Fortunately, the blond was quick witted enough to realize what she was doing and agreed wholeheartedly with whatever lies she fed the nurses. Within the hour they were out of the hospital and Aracelis made certain to steer the skittish blond towards her car.

"Prince Noctis!?" yelped Prompto in surprise when he spotted the prince in the car. "What's the prince doing here?"

"Just get in," said Aracelis in exhaustion before turning her attention to Noctis. "Will there be an escort coming for you, your highness?"  
"No," replied Noctis dismissively.

"…Am I going to have a squadron of Kingsglaive after me because of this?" asked Aracelis warily. "I would rather not be charged with treason for kidnapping the prince."

"Kidnap!?" squeaked Prompto as he looked between the two of them in horror. "What the hell Miss Aracelis! Why would you kidnap the prince of all people? Oh my god! We're gonna dieeee! Or maybe I'm already dead? And this is some weird punishment because I didn't listen and wear reflectors like she suggested?"

"Prompto," said Aracelis calmly. Her patience wore thinner with each passing second.

"You said treason right? What's the punishment for treason? Death? Can you die a second time after you died once?" asked Prompto in a panic.

"Prompto," repeated the annoyed brunette louder, but the teen didn't listen and continued his rambling.

"There's so much I want to doooo!" wailed Prompto.

"For god sake, Prompto can you calm down? You're not going to die!" snapped Aracelis as she grabbed the seatbelt and forcibly buckled him in.

It was through sheer willpower that she wasn't shaking from the unexpected episode at the hospital. This was her life now, she reminded herself. She needed to make sure Prompto stayed safe long enough to become friends with Noctis and steer the plot back on its rails. She died once already and was in no hurry to experiencing it again until she was old and decrepit.

"But! But!" whimpered the blond.

His protests went unheard as she slammed the door shut and made her way back to the driver's seat. Through the window, she could still see Prompto's animated panic as he continued to talk himself into a frenzy. The prince turned away with a hand over his mouth, desperately trying to not to laugh at his plight. Albeit, his shaking body suggested otherwise. Noctis eventually gave up the losing battle and wheezed in laughter.

Aracelis paused in surprise before glancing over to Prompto. The blond's panicked frenzy turned to indignation as he snapped at the raven-haired prince. A wide grin stretched across Noctis' face. His eyes filled with amusement as he retorted in a teasing manner. Prompto's freckled-face flushed red and he pointed an accusing finger at the other, clearly flustered by whatever the prince had said. It took less effort than she thought for them to get along. Though at this point she wasn't sure if they're getting along or if Noctis was being an incorrigible troll.

"Behave children," chided Aracelis in jest as she entered the car.

She intended to tease them in good humor, but through the mirror, she could see Prompto fluster and settle down in his seat. Noctis on the other hand chose to stare pointedly at her. Her attempt at joking fell flat as neither Prompto nor Noctis spoke a word after she pulled out of the hospital parking lot and onto the streets.

"So…" started Aracelis, her fingers strummed uncertainly on her steering wheel as she tried to come up with something to break the awkward silence. "Play any good games…lately?"

She wary another glance at her mirror to evaluate their reaction, but was met with twin looks of bewilderment and utter confusion. This was going to be harder than she expected. How was she supposed to relate to pubescent boys?

"I—um… played the new Assassin's Creed game recently," replied Prompto meekly.

"You play Assassin's Creed?" said Noctis in surprise turning his attention to the blond.

"Wait, you played it too?" gapped Prompto as if seeing the prince in a whole new light.

"Duh, the assassin's like the coolest ever!" scoffed the raven-haired teen with a roll of his eyes before an excited grin tugged at his lips.

Inwardly, Aracelis breathed in relief as the two carried on fanboying over a video game. At least this was a start for them to hopefully branch off into a friendship. She personally wasn't too familiar with the Assassin's Creed franchise, her primary exposure to it was purely through the special events in the game. Even so, she kept an ear on their conversation in case anything useful came up.

"Man! I never expected that the prince plays video games like the rest of us!" laughed Prompto.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" huffed Noctis.

"I mean, you probably get attempted assassinations on your life all the time right? Isn't it a bit weird to play an assassin when you could potentially be assassinated?" asked the blond curiously.

"You're totally into conspiracy theories aren't you?" laughed Noctis. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but Insomnia's super safe. If there was ever an assassination attempt, I've never experienced it personally."

"Serious?" continued Prompto in awe.

"Yep," confirmed Noctis. "They'd probably need to use a daemon to even have a chance, but the wall's near impenetrable. Never going to happen."

At his words, Aracelis couldn't help but turn her full attention to the conversation. That wasn't right. Didn't the prince get gravely injured once before as a child because a marilith breached the wall and got into the city? It's the reason why he needed to go to Tenebrae for healing and Niflheim took the opportunity to invade the diminutive state ruled by the Nox Fleuret royals.

"Your highness," interrupted the older teen. "There's truly never been an attack on your person? Not even once?"

"…Why are you surprised?" frowned Noctis.

"Yeah… isn't it a good thing that he's never gotten an attempt on his life?" continued Prompto.

"Of course," agreed Aracelis dismissively, but pressed on. "Does that mean you've never left Insomnia before?"

"No, why do you ask?" questioned the prince in confusion.

"Just wondering if you've been to Tenebrae," fibbed Aracelis in a rush as she tried to give reason to the out of place question. "I think I read somewhere the developers took inspiration from Tenebrae's architecture for the city's design."

Another awkward pause.

"That um… sounds cool?" hedged Prompto, if only to be polite.

…Unquestionably awkward.

Aracelis found it best to cut her losses and stop interjecting further. For the rest of the trip, Noctis and Prompto continued to trade anecdotes and random tidbits about their favorite game. Albeit less rowdy compared to before, but at least they were still comfortable enough to talk to each other despite her presence. For now, it was an acceptable outcome. After all, her presence in the prince's life wasn't essential.

"Name, identification and reason for visit?" questioned the guard when they finally made it to the gate barring the path to the Citadel.

"Aracelis Hester, I'm escorting the prince back to the Citadel." Aracelis handed the guard her license.

"The prince?" repeated the man in surprise as he ducked down to peer through the windows to confirm her words. Noctis chatted animatedly with Prompto, paying no heed to the guard.

"May we pass through the gates?" asked Aracelis, impatient to be kept waiting.

"Uh…" the guard quickly swiped her license through a card reader to check her credentials. "You have clearance to enter under the Amicitia family, but about the blond kid in the back..."

"A classmate of his highness," interjected Aracelis.

"He needs to get clearance before we could let him through," explained the man.

"But I'm only dropping the prince off at the steps. Prompto won't be going in," argued Aracelis.

By now, Noctis and Prompto both stopped in their conversation and took interest in the exchange.

"Sorry, but that's the rules," reasoned the guard. His hand made an awkward gesture, signaling there wasn't much he could do.

"Very well," huffed Aracelis irritably before she grabbed the back of her seat and turned to speak to the two boys in the back seat. "It looks like I will have to drop you off here."

"That's fine. I can—" started Prompto sheepishly as he moved to unbuckle his seatbelt, utterly self-conscious by the guard's suspicious gaze.

"Can I trust you to walk the rest of the way to the Citadel, highness?" interjected the brunette before Prompto could completely undo his seatbelt.

"…What?" said Noctis in surprise, not expecting to be asked to leave the car.

"It's only a couple of hundred feet from here," reasoned Aracelis.

"I'm sorry, what?" said the guard in alarm at her window.

"Come on, up and at 'em," said Aracelis with a light tap to the back of her seat.

The bewildered expression didn't leave Noctis' face as he unbuckled himself and got out the car. With a slight shuffle, the prince shouldered his school briefcase and meandered his way towards the gates. The guard, flabbergasted by what just happened, looked torn between wanting to berate her and wanting escort the prince to the Citadel himself. The latter won out and he scrambled to catch up to the prince.

"I'll leave his highness in your capable hands then." Aracelis called after the man's retreating form cheekily before she place her car in reverse and backed out from the front of the Citadel gates. "So, where do you live Prompto?"

"What—you—did you just kick the prince out of your car because of me?" screeched Prompto in complete mortification.

"He's not the one who got into a car accident. Are you going to tell me where you live or not?" asked Aracelis.

"But he's the prince!" squeaked Prompto.

"He has plenty of guards to take care of him. You on the other hand," huffed Aracelis as she glanced at him through the mirror. "Are alone for some reason. Where are your parents? Do you need me to call social services for you?"

"No! No, no no!" shouted the blond as he frantically waved his arms. "They're just busy with charity work. I'm not being neglected or anything."

"I see…" murmured Aracelis thoughtfully.

She had wondered why Prompto was always alone before, if his parents were engaged in philanthropy work, it'd make sense that they won't be home often. Still, it was absurdly irresponsible, not to mention neglectful for them to leave the teen without some means to contact them during an emergency.

"Please don't call social services on my parents! They're good people!" begged Prompto.

Under normal circumstances, she would call social services and let them handle this. However, it's to no one's benefit if Prompto gets lost within the system afterwards. She needed him to stay in the same school as Noctis and resume his role as the prince's friend and companion. This meant more involvement than she would like, but it also meant she could monitor the situation better.

"On one condition," decided the older teen.

"Yes, I'll do anything!" agreed Prompto without even knowing her demands.

"A word of advice," chided Aracelis in exasperation. "In the future, you should really listen or read the terms and conditions before you agree to anything."

"Uh… you're not going to make me do anything illegal are you?" asked Prompto worriedly.

"My  _condition_ ," emphasized the brunette heavily to bring the conversation back to her original point. "Is that you contact me if anything happens to you and if your parents are not available."

"…That's it?" asked the blond in confusion.

"That's it," confirmed Aracelis.

"But… why?" frowned Prompto. "I'm no one special, why would you do that for me?"

Aracelis breathed deeply through her nose, to buy time for an explanation. She couldn't very well tell him something's wrong with the world and it was essential for him to become the prince's friend. Any sane person would probably try to get away as far away from her as possible. It also didn't help that Prompto had an absurdly low level of self-esteem. She'll need to get that fixed before it gets in the way of him talking to Noctis.

"You were alone at the hospital after a car accident," reasoned Aracelis. "Special or not, no one should ever have to go through that alone. Besides… you're plenty special."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked the blond in confusion.

"You made the prince laugh. From what I've seen, he doesn't do that often. I'd say that's pretty special," supplied Aracelis.

"W-what?" stuttered Prompto, face flushed red at the compliment.

"I think you two could become friends if you really wanted to," suggested Aracelis casually, with every intent of boosting his confidence so he would take the initiative to do so.

"You think so?" asked the teen shyly.

"Doesn't hurt to try," replied Aracelis but she hoped to high hell he'd succeed. "But for my peace of mind, please call me if you get into something like that again. Can you promise me that? It doesn't even have to be something life threatening. If you need something or someone to talk to, feel free to call me."

The car fell silent, she could see the conflicted emotions plainly on the blond's freckled face as he thought over her words. Aracelis continued to drive some distance away from the Citadel as she waited for the blond to make up his mind. When he did, she could see a shy smile lighting up his face as he looked to her.

"Sure, Miss Aracelis. I'll call you if I need anything," agreed Prompto with a nod.

"Good, and you don't need to call me Miss Aracelis. Just my name will do," replied the older teen, relief flooded through her at his answer. "Now, where do you live?"

Now that she has secured a means to begin fixing this nightmare, she could breathe a little bit easier. Not only that, but she also found why the events of Brotherhood hadn't happened. Somehow, the prince had avoided the marilith attack that would have sent him to Tenebrae for healing and meet the oracle, Princess Lunafreya. His meeting with her, in turn would start a correspondence between them after the Niflheim invasion and lead to a series of events that would have brought Prompto to eventually engage the prince in a friendship.

Since the attack didn't happen, Noctis lost out on two friendships. One with Lunafreya and the other with Prompto. It hardly explains the situation with Ignis and Gladio, but if she had to fathom a guess, the marilith attack must have done more than send the prince to Tenebrae. Ignis was chosen by Regis for a reason, but what reason was it?

"What am I missing?" muttered Aracelis long after she obtained Prompto's cell number and sent him home.

Stuck in rush hour traffic with her mind filled with questions and speculations, Aracelis decided to pause her speculations on Ignis and turned her attention to Gladio instead. Logically, the marilith attack shouldn't have affected Noctis' meeting with Iris. With how often the Amicitia teen complained about the prince, Aracelis was surprise it hadn't triggered the event that lead Iris to seek out Noctis to prove Gladio wrong. Iris was always the type to pursue what she wanted, when she wanted regardless of the rules.

It's unlike her to take this long to…

"…Oh no," muttered Aracelis under her breath as she thought back to all the times Iris came to her for training whenever Gladio wasn't around. The marilith didn't have anything to do with the strained relationship between Noctis and his shield,  _she_ did. "Idiot!"

An aggravated growl escaped her lips as she banged her head against the rim of her steering wheel. How did she not notice? It was so obvious had she just paid attention! Iris idolized her almost as much as she did her brother. Naturally she would want to spend more time with her and in turn forget any silly schoolgirl crush she might have on the prince. Aracelis took a deep breath to recompose herself and gripped her wheel even tighter.

No matter, Gladio was easy. She just had to get him to respect Noctis somehow and all will be well. The question was how, but she could worry about that later. She still had the mystery of Ignis' lack of employment to the crown in question. Regis chose Ignis as the prince's advisor for a reason. He wanted him to guide Noctis and push him forward if the prince fell stagnant. For him to not appoint Ignis here, must mean he didn't feel Noctis needed an advisor.

"…But why wouldn't Noctis need an advisor?"

_HONK!_

Aracelis jumped at the sound and lifted her head from the wheel to see the traffic moving along. The cars around her were already driving ahead and she was holding up the cars behind her.

_HONK, HONK!_

"I'm going, I'm going!" grumbled the brunette as she stepped on the accelerator to push forward.

As she did so, another thought hit her. If the car horn hadn't alerted her, she wouldn't have noticed the traffic moving. What if that's what happened with the marilith attack? With the prince hurt, the king would have no choice but to be cautious and plan ahead. However, since Noctis didn't get hurt, Regis didn't get the sense of urgency to plan ahead… but Noctis was the chosen king, why wouldn't he plan ahead anyway?

Unless…

"He doesn't know Noctis is the chosen king," breathed Aracelis in horror.

Slowly, the pieces fell together and the entirety of the picture became clear. With the exception of Gladio—that was purely her fault—the marilith attack served as an essential catalyst.

Without it, Regis wouldn't worry over Noctis. He wouldn't take him to Tenebrae for healing. He wouldn't have fought his way out with Noctis in tow when Niflheim attacked. He wouldn't commune with the Crystal about his son's fate. He wouldn't realize his son was the chosen king, He wouldn't see... the omen of what was to happen to the prince if he were to face his fate alone.

A chill went through Aracelis as she realized the true severity of the situation. It was no longer just the matter of the world being plunged to never ending apocalyptic darkness. If she didn't get Noctis and his crownsguard back together before the start of his journey, there was a possibility this world will become the hell foretold by the omen. Where every turn was Ifrit's hellfire with three-headed Cerberus hellhounds and daemons at every corner. Where Noctis succumbs to the darkness and beats Lunafreya senseless with her own oracle staff before stabbing her to death.

"…What have I gotten myself into?"


	3. Web Of Lies

 

"So, Optimus Lucis Caelum the 108th was the first king that put up the walls around Insomnia," muttered Aracelis under her breath.

With a half-eaten granola bar in one hand, she absentmindedly walked through the school halls while immersed in Ignis' research notes. There was no actual point for her to read it since she already found what she was looking for. However, it was pity to discard the green-eyed young man's meticulously researched notes. It made her almost wish there was some importance to the research rather than her reading it for the sake of buying time.

In her search for answers, Aracelis unwittingly discovered an event that failed to come to pass in the world. Somehow, Prince Noctis never suffered injuries from a marilith that would become the catalyst to trigger his meeting with a number of important individuals to his life. Unless Aracelis somehow reconnected the prince to his crownsguard in less than six years' time, the world was on track to an apocalyptic hellhole.

From what she'd seen so far, Prompto was well on his way to becoming friends with Noctis… If the blond took advantage of his chance meeting and actually talked to the prince. Instead, he's taken to calling her randomly throughout the week for whatever reassurance he needed for his low self-esteem. She almost regrets giving him the option to confide in her. With how squeamish the boy was, it might take a while before approaching Noctis, if he ever decides to do so.

…Maybe she could get Gladio involved somehow and kill two birds with one stone, but she hasn't thought of a good excuse to get the muscle-headed Amicitia on board. Not that either of them was a major concern at this point. They've already made contact with Noctis, unlike Ignis who hasn't even seen the prince, much less spoekn to him. She needed to find an opportunity for them to meet sooner rather than later.

"…Is that all you ever eat?" asked Ignis, trailing after her at her leisure pace.

"Hm?" Aracelis glanced up from his notes, suddenly remembering he was there. This was the first time he has actually spoken to her since she asked him for help.

"I've watched you eat nothing but granola bars for the last several days," noted the bespectacled teen before her. "Do you eat nothing else?"

"…Only when I'm busy," replied Aracelis as she eyed her bar of dry berries, oats and nuts. She lost count of how many of these she's eaten. She estimated it to be at least a bulk-sized box every two weeks or so. "It's convenient."

"It's hardly healthy," frowned Ignis with brows furrowed.

"But it does save me the trouble of ordering food, waiting for the food and lastly  _eating_  the food," reasoned Aracelis. She tucked the notes under her arm before she grabbed her water bottle and took a swig from it.

"Why not bring your own lunch?" offered the other teen.

"Can't cook," admitted the brunette as she capped her bottle and stowed it in her bag. She grabbed the notes from under her arm before she turned to stare pointedly at him. "And sandwiches aren't worth the effort to make when a granola bar has about the same nutritional value."

"I see," murmured Ignis.

"By the way," Aracelis stopped in the middle of the hall and lifted his notes for emphasis. At her abrupt stop, the students walking behind them fumbled to redirect themselves to walk around her. "This is very well done. Have you ever thought about applying for a job as the prince's advisor?"

"…This is the second time you're suggesting I work for the crown," noted Ignis inquisitively as he politely stepped aside for their fellow students. "May I ask why?"

"Um…" Aracelis feigned a cough to buy time to come up with an excuse. It was her fault for not segueing into it better. "You… just seem like you'll fit the role very well. It's a waste to have your talents used for anything less."

"Like researching for you?" mused Ignis.

"That's for the benefit of the king and prince," argued Aracelis defensively. "It's out civic duty!"

"You're oddly patriotic," commented the taller teen softly.

Aracelis opened her mouth to retort, but found herself unable to come up with an appropriate response. It does seem strange for her to be so active about helping the crown when she had no reason to, especially at her age. However, it doesn't change the fact Ignis was slowly losing interest in helping her pointless endeavor. Despite her attempts to show investment on his research, she could see his awareness of her disinterest in the material. With a sigh, the brunette lowered the research notes and looked him straight in the eye.

"…How about I get you some coffee?" offered Aracelis before she followed up with an explanation. "For helping me with this."

"Oh…" Ignis blinked in surprise before nodding quietly.

The two eventually made their way to the cafeteria. Ignis broke off to find seats for them, while Aracelis waited on line to purchase the promised hot drinks. She had the time between waiting for the drinks and taking them back to Ignis to come up with a reasonable request to keep associating with the other teen. Unfortunately, her mind remained blank as she made her way back to Ignis and handed the bespectacled teen his drink.

Since neither of them were adept conversationalists, they quickly fell into a pall of silence the moment she sat down. It was something Aracelis grew to notice with frequency when it came to her trying to talk to people.

"So…" started Aracelis, her hands nursing the warm paper cup. "I don't think we found the answer."

"I'm not sure if there ever was an answer to be found," replied Ignis evenly as he watched the steam rise from his coffee.

"Look…" The freckled-face brunette stared down at her drink as she began her lie. "The truth is, I only approached you to be your friend. I didn't really need you to do research… Sorry."

"That's a lie," replied Ignis bluntly.

"It's not—" She began to defend herself, but when their gaze met, she found it pointless to attempt a fake friendship. With a dismissive tone, she returned to her original plan. Maybe she could set him on another pointless research endeavor. "…Fine, I only approached you for your superior research skills, but it's obvious you don't believe my theory. There is something wrong with the king and the prince! It's probably not genetic as I initially assumed."

"Is that so?" noted Ignis.

"See, you don't believe me," huffed Aracelis.

"How are you so convinced? Lethargy alone is hardly evidence," pressed Ignis.

"It's…" Aracelis paused and thought over her next words.

Ignis had already called out her lies once already, it would do her no good to lie carelessly again. She needed something believable to convince him otherwise. Obviously the king and prince's failing health were no longer viable excuses. If she wanted him to believe her, the matter would have to affect more than the royal family. It would have to affect the public as well. What would be a big enough issue that could start small and then spread?

She thought back to Noctis in hopes of coming up with something from her memory. However, all she could think about was the prince fanboying over video games, carefree and oblivious to her plight. It made her wish she was at the arcade slaughtering zombies by the hundreds.

…Wait, zombies? Aracelis' eyes furrowed as she curled a fist against her lips. A zombie apocalypse would be too much of a stretch, but an epidemic of a similar caliber might just be a good enough excuse. What kind of epidemic was there in Eos that'd be big enough to cause concern and haven't had a proper cure yet?

"…Not lethargy, but something slow acting that eats away at the body enough to be mistaken for it," mumbled Aracelis under her breath as she tried to reason out the possibilities. "Something with the potential to worsen over time until it's too late."

"Something that eats away at the body over time?" repeated Ignis thoughtfully. "That sounds awfully like…"

"Starscourge," whispered Aracelis in realization as she turned to face him.

"In the city?" frowned Ignis."Is that even possible?"

"… I don't know," admitted the brunette. "How does starscourge get transmitted anyhow?"

Inwardly, she did her best to hide her elation at the unexpected crack shot in the dark. It was a miracle she managed to come up with such an arbitrary excuse. Hopefully, the research would take a bit longer compared to the Lucian Kings and she won't have to come up with another wild goose chase for the young man.

"I suppose we'll have to find out," noted Ignis pensively.

"Indeed," murmured Aracelis behind her cup. Lying was far from her forte and she did not look forward to doing it again.

* * *

The clacking of wooden swords clashing with one another echoed through the training halls. Gladio kept a firm stance as he blocked blow after blow from the dark-haired prince. At a glaring opening, the Amicitia heir darted forward and disarmed Noctis with a decisive blow. The wooden sword flew out of the younger teen's hand as he was knocked to the ground.

"You can do better than that," grunted Gladio, displeased by the younger man's effort.

Noctis said nothing as he pushed himself up and went to grab his wooden sword. The two of them resumed the starting stance before the young prince darted forward again. It took no more than two parries before he was knocked to the ground once more by Gladio.

"Again," rumbled Gladio, hefting his wooden training sword over his shoulder, towering a beaten Noctis on the training room floors.

"No," groused the dark-haired prince as he pushed himself off the ground. "It's dinnertime."

Noctis ignored any further attempts from the older teen to get him back for more training. Annoyance filled Gladio as he watched the other leave the room. This was a common occurrence for how their sessions typically end. It drove him mad to see the prince approach his training with such a lackluster manner. However, there was little he could do beyond what he was already doing. It had been this way since he started working full-time as crownsguard.

From a young age, he knew his future was to be the shield for the prince once King Regis passed. Unlike other children, Gladio was privately tutored and sped through the typical school curriculum so he could take on crownsguard duties earlier, much like his father at his age. Beyond training the prince and his various duties, there was little else for him to do. It made most days seem pointless by the time he made his way home.

Even so, he persevered and continued. He was an Amicitia, it was his duty to become crownsguard and serve the king. He had to push forward.

_Clack, Clack, Clack_

Gladio paused and doubled back at the sound of furious typing. When he peeked into Jared's office, he found Aracelis alternating between reading paper ledgers and transcribing its content onto her laptop. Everything seemed as it should, except he could tell the brunette was stressed about something. How could he not since they practically grew up together. She was about the only friend he had close to his own age, even though they don't always agree on most things.

"You look stressed," commented Gladio as he rested an arm at the door frame.

"Oh, you're back," sighed Aracelis tiredly. She broke away from her screen for a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose. "It's been a long week. How was crownsguard duty?"

"Same as always," grunted Gladio.

"The prince still a little shit?" noted Aracelis dryly.

"When is he not?" grumbled the older teen.

"Maybe he'll grow out of it eventually," suggested the brunette offhandedly.

"If only," snorted Gladio. "He's as lazy as ever."

"He's still young," reasoned Aracelis. "There's still time for him to mature."

"You definitely have high hopes for him," scoffed Gladio.

"I just—"

_Ring, Ring!_

Gladio frowned as Aracelis excused herself to check her phone. How unusual, he noted. The brunette wasn't known to have many friends and seldom received calls. Who in the world would call her at this hour? An exasperated look crossed his friend's face, followed by a string of dark mutterings under her breath when she recognized the name on the screen. Gladio watched with growing interest when her exasperation turned into resignation.

"Prompto, I swear if you're in the hospital again because you got hit by another car I will murder you," groused the girl.

Again? Gladio's eyes widened, his curiosity peaked by the person on the other side of the call. What kind of person gets hit by a car with that much frequency? He watched Aracelis fall silent as the other side continued to chatter. He'd never seen her so patient with someone that wasn't Iris.

"You reckless idiot! Stay where you are, I'm coming," growled the brunette before she hung up and stood from her seat. "Sorry Gladio, I'm going to head out."

"You're going out at this hour?" interrupted the Amicitia with a frown. "Who is this?"

"A hopeless idiot I nearly ran over a while back," grumbled the girl as she hastily packed away her things.

"You nearly what?" gapped Gladio in disbelief.

"Honestly! If it's not one thing, it's another with that boy!" rambled Aracelis as she swung her back over her shoulder and stormed out of the room. "I'm surprised he's managed to stay alive up to this point!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" shouted Gladio as he stopped her. "You're going to see him now?"

"Gladio, if you're worried, don't be. At this point, Prompto is a bigger hazard to himself than anyone else," groused Aracelis. "I'm going to wring his neck! He hasn't even recovered yet and he goes off over-exerting himself to the point that he can't even walk home!"

"Arie, I'm coming with you," insisted Gladio, his grip tightening on her shoulder to keep her from storming off.

"Fine, you overbearing, muscle-headed—"

Gladio tuned out the rest of Aracelis' incessant rambling as he followed her to the car. Over the years, he's grown unfazed to her insults. Despite the vehement rambling, none of the insults were meant with malice. It was almost akin to an endearment by this point.

…Much like her poor driving skills when she's stressed out with worry.

"Slow down," said Gladio, hand gripped tightly to the handle above his head. He had made sure to buckle himself in the moment they got in the car, but he hadn't realized the extent of Aracelis' stress levels. He was certain she hit nearly every dip and pothole as she steadily sped through the city. Yet, still somehow keeping within the speed limit.

By the time they finally stopped, Gladio was certain he left a permanent handprint on the handle bar from gripping so hard. Out the window he spotted a chubby blond teen seated on the stone barrier that separated the park from the pedestrian sidewalk and the main road. Aracelis unbuckled herself and haphazardly darted out of the car, not caring that she was slamming her door as she went.

The younger boy awkwardly raised a hand to greet her, but grimaced at the scolding to follow. Gladio couldn't hear what was being said with the windows closed, but he almost felt bad for the blond. Aracelis wasn't particularly good at showing concern for people. Sometimes, he's not even sure if she's capable of doing so.

The kid—Prompto, he recalled Aracelis calling him earlier—was probably the least intimidating individual he has ever seen. Chubby, embarrassed and covered in bandages, the boy was as Aracelis claimed, a hazard more to himself than to anyone else around him. A sheepish grin crossed his face as he no doubt tried to give a reasonable explanation to calm the brunette's ire, but she would have none of it. He dipped his head down guiltily and twiddled his fingers.

Feeling the kid had suffered enough under Aracelis'  _no doubt_ harsh chastising, Gladio decided to leave the car and save him from further abuse. He doesn't look capable of having any untoward intentions against the brunette and Aracelis seemed to be genuinely concerned for the boy.

"Arie," called out Gladio as he approached.

"Holy—" yelped Prompto in surprise at the sight of him, but quickly silenced himself before he could say something potentially offensive. "Um… hi?"

"Oh good, you're here," said Aracelis before thumbing a finger to the blond. "Can you carry him to the car? The idiot can't walk."

"What!" squeaked Prompto as he glanced between her and Gladio.

"Fine, but I'm driving," noted Gladio.

"What? Why?" frowned Aracelis.

"Because you're a horrible driver when you're stressed," reasoned the taller teen.

"I am not!" groused the girl.

"Then you can carry blondie yourself," retorted Gladio.

"You don't have to carry me!" protested Prompto weakly. "I mean…I can—"

"If you can walk, you wouldn't have called me," scoffed Aracelis before turning to walk towards the car. "I'll get the navigation ready, Gladio. Just get him into the car."

"You're the boss," chuckled the Amicitia heir as he moved to haul up Prompto. "Up we go blondie."

"Eep!" squeaked Prompto. He clutched onto Gladio's arm in surprise as the bigger teen picked him up bridal style and carried him to the backseat of Aracelis' car.

"Buckle up Prompto," said the brunette as she pulled up the blond's address on the navigation.

A wry grin tugged at Gladio's lips as the blond scrambled to do as he was told. Aracelis had a way with telling people what to do and generally people would more or less listen. He shook his head in amusement and made his way into the driver's side. With a few adjustments to the seat and the mirror, he glanced to the navigation briefly before driving off.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Prompto visibly uncomfortable in the back seat through the mirror. The blond chose to remain as silent and as unobtrusive as possible. Aracelis on the other hand drummed her fingers absentmindedly against the door while deep in thought. She seemed less agitated compared to when they were still back in the office, but she was still far from relieved.

Which meant, while Prompto wasn't the source of her stress, he was adding to it. His level of carelessness was enough to drive even someone like Aracelis with worry. The thought didn't sit well with Gladio, he didn't like seeing his friend wracked with worry. He may not know what was truly bothering her, but Prompto seemed like an easy enough task for him to remedy.

"Arie, why don't you stay in the car? I'll take the kid inside," suggested Gladio once he parked in front of the blond's house.

"If you're offering, I'm not going to complain," said Aracelis dismissively before she turned back to the utterly terrified Prompto seated in the back. "If the muscle-head threatens you with something ridiculous, just call me. If I don't hear from you, I will come and check on you to make sure he didn't kill you. Okay?"

"Ah… um… okay?" murmured Prompto, nervously shifting and too terrified to look either of them in the eye. Had he looked, he would've seen Gladio rolling his eyes before he got out of the car to retrieve the blond.

"Come on kid, say goodnight to Arie," said the Amicitia heir dryly.

"Night," repeated Prompto obediently. His body went completely stiff when the older teen hauled him out of the car like a sack of potatoes and made way towards his house.

"Prompto right?" started Gladio once they were a good distance away from the car.

"I'm sorry!" shouted Prompto and startled the older teen. "You're Aracelis' boyfriend right? I didn't mean anything by calling her at this hour! I was in trouble and I didn't know who else to call and—"

"Her boyfriend?" snorted Gladio before he bellowed out in laughter. "You better not let her hear that or she might kill you herself."

"So… you're not?" asked Prompto in confusion.

"Nah, just a concerned friend," chuckled Gladio. "Speaking of which, why don't you have anyone else besides Arie to contact for help? Where are your parents?"

"Ah… they're busy with charity work," mumbled Prompto sheepishly. "Arie insisted I call her if I needed help."

"Is that so?" murmured Gladio as he reached the door. "Listen, you seem like a good kid, but you can't call her every single time you need something. She has a life of her own too you know."

"…Sorry," apologized Prompto quietly. "I didn't realize I was being a bother. I…um… I'll try not to call her too much."

At the sight of the dejected and guilt-ridden blond, Gladio regretted ever opening his mouth. Aracelis wasn't the only one who was bad at dealing with the feelings of other people. He clicked his tongue and ruffled the back of his head in frustration. There had to be something he could do to fix this.

"Hey," grunted Gladio. "How about I train you to be a bit more self-sufficient, so you don't need to call her as much?"

"Huh?" said Prompto in surprise as he looked up to the older teen once more.

"You're obviously trying to train yourself for something and overdid it. Otherwise you wouldn't need to call Aracelis in the first place," reasoned Gladio. "If you want, I can give you pointers and training when I have free time."

"Really? You'd do that for me?" said the blond in amazement.

"Sure, why not," shrugged Gladio. "In return you stop giving Aracelis random heart attacks like getting hit by cars."

"She told you about that?" yelped Prompto, his face flushed red.

"First thing I heard her say the moment she picked up your call," chuckled Gladio. "So, how about it? Are you up for it?"

"… Yeah!" nodded Prompto enthusiastically. The fear previously displayed all but melted away as he looked up at Gladio in a new light.

"Good, now where are your keys?" asked Gladio as he held out his hand.

The blond wiggled in the Amicitia heir's hold as he rummaged for his keys and handed it to the older teen. Gladio made quick work dropping him down on the couch before trading numbers. With a promise that he'll contact Prompto, he made his way back to the car to find Aracelis asleep in the passenger seat. Even in sleep, her brows were knitted with worry. Gladio made note to check his schedule once he got home to make sure he could keep Prompto occupied long enough to give her a break.

* * *

A quiet sizzle hissed in the kitchen followed by the gentle scraping from a spatula. Cooking has become a comforting routine for Ignis since his parents died and he came into his uncle's care. Though, the word care was something he would use loosely. Beyond supplying him with the appropriate funds to buy what he needed to survive, he seldom saw his uncle. The man was constantly busy at the Citadel.

The only other thing the man ever got involved with in his life was his placement in the Valetis Institute, a school meant for children whose parents worked for the Crown. While admission to the school appeared to be open to all, it had a stringent vetting process. In all of its history, no one of unknown backgrounds has ever been accepted. Due to nepotism, any student who attended was more or less promised a job at the Citadel upon graduation.

_Click, Slam!_

"…Uncle?" Ignis called out for a confirmation towards the foyer.

"It's me," answered back the older Scientia.

With a nod to himself, he went back to finishing up his cooking. The relationship between him and his uncle was tenuous at best. They seemed more like roommates than uncle and nephew. While Pryalis Scientia was not a cruel man, he was far from the affectionate sort. After all, he never intended to start a family of his own prior to gaining custody of Ignis.

"It's rather late, are you preparing lunch for tomorrow?" asked Pyralis when he made his way to the open kitchen and living space.

"Yes," nodded Ignis before asking as an afterthought. "Have you eaten yet? I can make extra."

"No, I've eaten already," replied the man dismissively. "Do what you need to do. I trust your studies are going well?"

"Nothing I can't handle," replied the bespectacled teen almost mechanically.

It was a rare occasion that Ignis and his uncle find themselves in each other's presence, yet every time they shared nearly the same conversation. Bland, generic questions that they both knew the answers to, but felt obligated to ask anyway. If only to kill off the awkward silence that would otherwise fill the room. Thinking back to his conversations with Aracelis, it was almost the same with the brunette, but with less obligatory exchanges.

"Well, don't stay up too late," finished the elder Scientia making his way to his room.

"Good night uncle," bid Ignis as he watched the man go.

He looked to the cooling food and started to pile it neatly into a glass container. It was the same routine day in and day out. If he wasn't at school, he was home preparing for school. Cooking was probably the extent of his hobbies. There wasn't much else that interested him. It made him the best in his class, but it also made it hard to talk to any of his peers.

It seemed that his peers thought him to be elusive and perhaps even too exceptional. If the unusual rivalry between Marcus Flavius and Aracelis was anything to go by, he was imperceptible. Despite having scored the highest in their year, the red-haired young man seemed fixated on challenging the brunette for second place rather than go after Ignis for first. He recalled the bewildered look on the girl when she noted the other teen had declared the wrong person as his rival and pointed to Ignis instead.

…Speaking of the girl, she was a rather odd one. He wasn't sure what to think of her when she approached him all those weeks ago for research assistance. He supposed the topic was interesting enough at the time to agree, but she made little sense during their exchanges. He's half-convinced the girl is a conspiracy theorist, albeit one that leant towards patriotism rather than anti-authority.

With the influx of immigrants from the outlying territories of Lucis coming to Insomnia, random bouts of unrest rose up from various parts of the city. Most conspiracy theorists thought the worst of the crown and suggest its doing what it can to strip the comforts from its citizens for these supposed outsiders. Even though they too were citizens of Lucis. On the other hand, Aracelis' brand of conspiracies went in the other direction. She even went as far as trying to fake a friendship to get his help. What's even stranger was her insistence that he should work as the prince's advisor.

"…Why am I thinking about this?" murmured Ignis with a shake of his head. He finished packing away his lunch and called it a night.

Strangeness aside, the research topics she brought up were all interesting in their own right. Even if they amount to nothing but conspiracies, it was still an interesting read compared to his usual coursework. He supposed he could indulge her until she decides to leave him alone.

…What he didn't realize was the girl's level of dedication to her insanity.

"Coffee?" offered Aracelis.

Since he agreed to continue researching for her, the brunette made a point to accost him in the courtyard on a regular basis during their lunch period. Despite her previous claims of ordering food and waiting on line as a waste of time, she always made sure to order coffee for him. All the while, maintaining her unhealthy diet of water and granola bars.

"Thanks," accepted Ignis quietly, uncertain as to how else to respond to the offer.

At first, the brunette confused him immensely, as she would abruptly leave after leaving his caffeinated beverage. However, as the days went by, he realized it was because she was as equally inept as him when it came to normal conversation. Even so, she did seem grateful that he was continually humoring her conspiracy theories. Maybe, it won't be so bad to keep indulging her.


	4. Motivation

 

Screams and moaning groans blasted out from the speakers, followed by violent gunshots and gory explosions. Noctis stood bored and lackluster in front of the zombie game among the obnoxious flashing and upbeat music in the arcade. His stance straight and his arm held out in perfect balance as he idly shot at each zombie that appeared on the screen. Compared to his weapons' training, arcade shooter games were nothing.

The gun had no knock-back, caused no ear ringing and he didn't have Gladio hovering over him watching his every move. It was just him, a limited health bar and the endless horde of zombies. He was alone and that was all he—

"What happened to staying irregular? Are you trying to get caught by Gladio?" Aracelis' voice broke his attention from the game and his character died a gruesome death in his inattention.

"If you're here, it's a safe bet that he isn't," retorted Noctis as he glanced to her with mild annoyance. "You're trying to avoid him too."

"Fair enough," agreed Aracelis before she dropped off her bag next to his and dug out her coin pouch. With a grin, she pulled out the gun and jingled her coin pouch in question. "Round two?"

"If you're paying, sure," shrugged Noctis resuming his stance.

Playing together became an odd routine for them whenever they ran into each other at the arcade. He never said much during the meetings, but it didn't seem to bother the older girl. Though, he suspected it might also be due to her awkwardness when it came to talking in general.

"So… are you and Prompto friends by any chance?" asked Aracelis during the pause when they decided to switch games.

"That blond kid that got hit by a car?" noted Noctis. He recalled the teen, half-wondering why she brought him up so suddenly.

"Ah, I guess not if you're still referring to him as that blond kid," muttered Aracelis with a shake of her head.

He'd ask why she brought up the question at all, but she seemed to have randomly gotten over it much like how she felt the need to ask in the first place. The raven-haired prince couldn't understand her. The girls at his school were all horrendous busybodies with weird notions of who he was and what it was like to date him. They think he doesn't hear them in passing, but he's heard almost every possible variation of gossip on him.

From liking shy quiet girls to being an enigmatic badass, he's thankful the majority of the gossip painted his character akin to  _prince charming_ , albeit he'd most definitely admit he was not. He has to question how they even came to those conclusions in the first place. Gladio has called him prince charmless behind his back on more than one occasion, but then again, his future shield viewed him as lesser than dirt on most days. It was hardly a fair assessment.

Even so, Aracelis was rather odd. Despite being Gladio's friend, she didn't view Noctis in the same light as that muscle-head. Unlike Gladio, the stringent taskmaster was more than willing to work him to the inch of his life through training, Aracelis on the other hand, recommended routine breaks. She offered advice on how to effectively avoid the Amicitia heir and occasionally anecdotes on how difficult the older teen could get whenever he gets into a mood.

It made dealing with Gladio... a bit more tolerable. Noctis was still far from being on good terms with his shield, but at least he didn't dread his training sessions as much compared to before. The fact that Gladio has yet to catch him when he skipped training made it all the better. He took a small amount of glee in the fact that it frustrated his reluctant shield to no end.

"It's getting late. You might want to head back soon," noted Aracelis, always at a time that will allow him to get back to the Citadel by public transportation at a reasonable hour.

"Yeah, yeah," sighed Noctis as he gathered his bag.

Apart from the time she rushed to the hospital, she seldom drove him back to the Citadel. He reasoned it was so Gladio would be none the wiser to them going off to the arcades and shirking their duties. Had she drove him home every time, it would have given away their tentative comradery against Gladiolus. As inconvenient as it was to take public transportation, he'd much rather keep this odd correspondence with the older girl. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who needed to run away from time to time.

* * *

"Prompto, Prompto, Prompto, you're killing me," muttered Aracelis. She buried her face in her pillow out of frustration.

It had been weeks since she lucked out with the meeting between Noctis and Prompto. With how well the two interacted with each other, she was certain there was nothing to be concerned about. Except, for whatever reason, the blond never initiated the friendship.

To make the situation worse, Prompto's initial onslaught of endless texts and calls had more or less stopped. She had no clue why and had no valid reason to contact him. She ended up checking on Noctis to gauge the extent of their relationship. Her meeting with the prince at the arcade was not by chance. She had meticulously calculated the possibilities of which arcade he would show up in at any given day. As well as keeping track on how often she so "happens" to run into him to keep his suspicion down.

Of the people the prince should worry about, Gladio should be the least of his worries. If he knew how much work and effort she put in to keep track of him, no doubt he'd run screaming or tell his father to have her arrested. Honestly, she's surprised the Crownsguards hasn't showed up at her front steps and demanded her parents to release her into their custody already. If they kept track of the prince half as well as she did, they would have noticed her absurd stalking.

_Knock, knock_

"Honey, are you okay?" asked her mother, Selene Hester, through the door.

"…I'm fine mother," replied Aracelis, her voice muffled by her pillow. She was far from fine.

The door knob jiggled with a soft click before it carefully swung open. Aracelis didn't bother to turn to the door, recognizing her mother's waddling steps from her rotund pregnant belly. Selene was a kind and overly doting woman. There was no comparison to be made between her and the mother she had in her last life. Simply because her first mother was never in her life. Her father was a soldier so she grew up a "military brat", hopping from base community to base community during his deployments.

"You don't sound fine to me," commented Selene gently as she planted a hand on her head and ran her fingers through Aracelis' dark locks. "What's wrong? Is it school? Or the work you have to do for Grandpa Jared?"

"It's nothing I can't handle," lied Aracelis.

She sat up on her bed and reached out to grasp her mother's soft pudgy hands. Selene was in her last weeks of pregnancy and her body had swollen immensely in her hampered state. It will not be long now before Talcott is born. Aracelis dreaded the day. She had some experience with Iris when it came to younger siblings, but unlike Iris, Talcott would eventually trigger the events that lead to their grandfather's demise. She will have to find time to hammer in the lesson of not talking to strangers to her new little brother while dealing with the prince and his Crownsguards.

"Are you sure?" asked Selene worriedly as she clasped both hands over her daughter's. "You seem tired and stressed as of late."

"I promise, I'm fine," reassured Aracelis. "I'm… dealing with it."

"Hmm?" hummed Selene playfully. "By it, do you mean a boy?"

"…Mother," growled the younger Hester as she pulled away. "If this is your attempt to get me to start dating—"

"But honey," whined the older woman with a teasing tone. "You're young, smart and beautiful! Any boy would be happy to—"

"We've been through this mother," grounded Aracelis. "I—am—not—interested."

"Oh," pouted Selene. "What about Gladio then? You two get along."

"Mother," growled Aracelis as she pointed to her door. "We're done with this conversation."

"But sweetie!" protested the older woman.

"OUT!" snapped the freckled girl.

"Fine, fine, break your dear mother's heart," huffed Selene with mock hurt as she grabbed onto the four-poster frame and pulled herself up. "But in all honesty dear, you need to relax more. Make a friend and go have fun while you're still young. All this stress is not healthy for you."

It took a moment for her to waddle out of her room, but Aracelis waited patiently for her to leave before rolling off her bed to close and lock the door. Despite her mother's jesting, she knew the woman was trying to look out for her. Maternal affection was something she's yet to get used to even though she lived with the woman all these years.

Not that it made her care any less for her. In fact, she worried immensely, since neither her mother nor father were mentioned past Insomnia's fall. They could have very well died by then or even before. While maternal mortality in Insomnia was low, it didn't mean it wasn't possible. If that happened… Aracelis sighed deeply with her head pressed against the door for support.

"It's not going to happen. You're just freaking yourself out." The exhausted teen murmured quiet reassurances to herself.

It felt like her world was spiraling out of control and she had no way to stop it. Prompto aside, Gladio was the same as ever when it came to his disdain towards the prince and she had no clue where to even start with Ignis. It was impossible for her to read the straight-laced young man. She's convinced he thinks of her as some sort of  _alien_  or something along those lines. Why he still bothers with her ruse was a mystery to her, but at this point, she'll take whatever she could get.

"It'll be fine." Aracelis continued to reassure herself to renew her determination. "I can do this."

* * *

The warmth of the sun, the gentle chirping of birds and the occasional soft breeze was ordinary, yet today seemed remarkable to Ignis. He wasn't sure when he started noticing the little things around the alcove he frequented in Valetis' lush green courtyard. He's sat there many times before, but he never took the time to actually take in his surroundings. Ignis glanced up from his food to the rustling leaves where sunlight peeked through. It felt different somehow.

"…Why do you always pick such an out of the way place to have lunch?" sighed Aracelis as she planted a routine cup of coffee next to his food on the decorative garden table.

"It's…" Ignis paused to consider the question. He originally chose this spot to eat his lunch in peace away from the prying eyes of their peers, but now? He closed his eyes and took in a relaxed breath. "It's pleasant."

"…Uh-huh…" Deadpanned Aracelis in response. " _You enjoy that_."

Ignis opened his eyes once she left. Belatedly, he noted a difference in her usual cadence. Over the past few weeks, he grew familiar to her quick driven steps whenever she dropped off coffee for him. At first, it was almost terrifying as though he was being hunted down like prey. Now that he acquainted himself to it, her light-footed and lackluster steps were notably uncanny. He couldn't explain why, but this was bothering him.

In the past, he never thought to stray his attention from his lessons and let his eyes wander about the classroom. However, curiosity got the better of him and he glanced over to the bored freckled-face girl. She rested her chin on her palm as she stared blankly out the window.

Since he never bothered looking at her before, he couldn't tell if this behavior was unusual. Judging by her grades and her work ethic outside of class, he would hazard the guess that she wasn't the sort to daydream and ignore her course load, but he could be wrong. She's proven to be hard to read in the past. Seeing as he couldn't come to a conclusion, he returned his attention back to the lesson.

As usual, the droning voice of their lecturer placed the less enthused students to sleep, while the rest of them scratched away with their pens to take notes. By the time all their classes ended, it was evident to him that she paid no mind to the dispersing activity around her. He deliberately took his time to pack up for the day, more slowly than his classmates. She remained seated, still lost in thought with the orange hues of the afternoon sun cast onto her.

"…Aracelis?" called out Ignis once he finished packing his things.

"Hmm?" the girl jumped at the sound of her name and glanced around, finally realizing the room was devoid of their classmates. "Oh… class is over."

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," commented Ignis. "Something bothering you?"

"It's…" the brunette looked ready to deny his claim, but ultimately gave up and allowed her shoulders to sink. "Yeah… a couple of weeks ago, I nearly ran someone over."

"You ran…" Ignis stopped himself and hastily changed the direction on his words. "Is he okay?"

"He got hit by a different car a week later," muttered Aracelis darkly.

"A… rather accident prone individual I see," continued Ignis, barely able to keep his composure from turning into disbelief.

"Would you believe if I told you he got out of that relatively unharmed, but then ends up not being able to walk home because he overexerted himself?" groused Aracelis as she buried her hands in her hair in frustration. "I almost prefer having him give me a heart attack every time he calls me. At least then I know the idiot's not dead in a ditch somewhere."

"You said he called you, correct? Then surely you have his number," reasoned Ignis. "If you're that worried, why don't you just call him?"

"…Oh yeah," said Aracelis in realization before quickly digging out her phone and flipping through her contacts.

Ignis watched, not expecting her to do so this very moment. She seemed more like the sort to take her calls privately and away from spectators.

"Prompto?" greeted Aracelis the moment the call went through. However, the concern turned to fury as she began to scream into it. "Gladio? Why the hell do you have Prompto's phone? What did you do to him, you muscle-headed lunk!"

"…Muscle-headed lunk?" repeated Ignis quietly. Surprised by her sudden fury, he had never seen her so fired up. Even when she dealt with Flavius, she at most acted sardonic and dismissive. With this Gladio individual, she sounded absolutely infuriated.

"If anything happened to that boy, I'm going to gut you and string you up like cured meat," hissed Aracelis, pausing only when she heard laughing from the other end. "Stop laughing! It's not funny!"

Even under the threat of pain and death, this Gladio certainly sounded fond of her. Ignis can't remember if anyone in Valetis went by that name. While he personally didn't speak with any of their peers, he'd often glanced over the names posted with the exam results.

"I swear, Gladiolus Amicitia, if you don't tell me where you two are right now, I will burn your trashy romance novel collection," threatened the angry girl.

Amicitia, the line that served as the King's Shield, Ignis finally recalled. It's the family that employed the Hesters, Aracelis' family. He didn't know her relationship with the family of her future employer would be so close that she could openly threaten to destroy his property.

Regardless, Aracelis seemed re-energized by the call. He needn't concern himself about her lackluster behavior. Now satisfied, he quietly moved to leave. However, before he managed to make two steps, he felt a familiar death grip clenched around his arm.

"Wait!" Aracelis shouted to him before she growled back into the phone. "Not you Gladio! You and Prompto stay there! I'll be there  _real_  soon."

Déjà vu washed over him as he watched the brunette end her call. It was like that day she approached him all over again. So fervent and distracted by her own goals, she never realized she kept his arm hostage.

"Yes?" asked Ignis patiently once she was done with her call.

"Look," started Aracelis uncomfortably. "I'm going to go check on Prompto, can you come with me?"

"…Why?" asked Ignis, startled to why she would ask him to tag along.

"Because I need a witness," muttered Aracelis quietly.

"A witness?" frowned Ignis. "What for?"

"So I don't end up murdering Gladio when I see him," growled the girl darkly. "I don't want to go to jail for the likes of him."

"You're acting utterly terrifying," quipped Ignis, straight-faced.

"Will you come?" huffed Aracelis, her grip tightened out of agitation as she met his eyes. "You being there will help."

Ignis didn't think he had a choice with how hard she kept her hold on him. While he was used to the girl's odd requests when it came to research, this was a whole other level of strange. No one had ever gone to him for confidence.

"…If it won't take too much time, I suppose I'm available to act as your conscience." He replied.

Aracelis' grip loosened, a smile tugged at her lips as her body visibly relaxed with relief. Idly, Ignis wondered why she found such a need for him to tag along. The girl was impossible to read.

* * *

"Looks like Arie's on her way here," commented Gladio offhandedly as he tossed the phone back to Prompto.

"What!" screeched Prompto. He tried to catch his phone mid-air, but ended up juggling it frantically before diving onto the grassy park grounds to catch it.

"Ha, nice catch blondie," chuckled Gladio. He squatted down to ruffle the scowling boy's hair.

"Gladio!" whined Prompto. He swatted the older teen's hand away and scrambled to sit up on his knees. "Why is Aracelis coming here? I thought I was doing good with not calling her. She sounded angry!"

"Guess she's just worried about you," dismissed Gladio.

"But that was what I was trying to avoid," wailed the freckled blond.

Ever since Gladio agreed to train him, Prompto made an effort to cut down the amount of times he called Aracelis in a week. He still could not fathom why she was so nice to him, but he didn't want to burden her with his problems any longer. She made it so easy for him to rely on her that he didn't realize he took advantage of her kindness.

"Well, she's going to be here whether you want her to or not," continued Gladio as he stood back up. "We can either keep training or you can freak out until she gets here."

"How are you so calm?" shouted Prompto.

"Listen, if you're going to freak out over every little thing that comes your way, you're not going to get anywhere in life," lectured Gladio. "Do what you can and improve on it."

"…I guess," mumbled Prompto before he pushed himself off the ground and resumed the rep sets the Amicitia planned for him.

Much to his surprise, Gladio was far more patient with him than he expected. Despite his constant failings, the older teen remained supportive. It made Prompto grateful for all the time he spent on him.

"Prompto!" Aracelis' voice startled him halfway through his squat jump.

"A-Aracelis!" yelped the blond. He jumped further than expected, flailing his arms to balance his landing. When he didn't face plant into the ground, he cupped a hand behind his head sheepishly. "Hi…"

"You're…okay?" said the older girl in puzzlement once she came in range and grabbed him by the face for a better look.

"I'm fwine!" whined Prompto with his cheeks squished in her hands. "Gladio's jhust treining me."

"What did you think I was doing to the kid?" huffed Gladio as he rested his weight on one leg and crossed his arms.

"Knowing you? You get overzealous with your training methods," retorted Aracelis. She released Prompto's face and turned back to face Gladio.

"Whatever," dismissed the well-built teen before noticing the green-eyed stranger that came with her. "So who's this guy? Another hopeless case like Prompto?"

"Ignis Scientia, he's a classmate," said Aracelis firmly, but paused to reconsider her words. "He's… important."

If Prompto hadn't made the mistake in assuming Gladio was Aracelis' boyfriend last time, he might've done the same with Ignis. However, Aracelis' introduction sounded ridiculously ambiguous, to the point that even Ignis and Gladio looked to one another to confirm they heard her correctly. Then again, he thought back to the day he spoke to Noctis, the older girl was awkward there too.

"Anyway… I'm glad you're okay Prompto, but what drove you to train with Gladio anyway?" asked the girl curiously. "He's not known to take it easy on people."

"Hey!" warned Gladio, but as always, Aracelis ignored him.

"Well… You did so much for me. I felt like I was being a bother and I didn't want to worry you," shuffled the blond uncomfortably as scratched the side of his cheek. "Also, there's someone I wanted to be friends with… but I don't think we can be friends until I lose some weight."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" snapped Aracelis.

"I know, but I..." mumbled Prompto as he scratched the side of his cheek still fidgeting absently. "I just thought I'd feel a bit more confident if I could be a bit more like Gladio first."

"A bit more like— "Aracelis gave an annoyed huff before she stomped over to Gladio.

The Amicitia raised an eyebrow when she stopped short in front of him and yanked up the hem of his shirt.

"Okay Prompto, you see this guy here?" said Aracelis before swinging her hand back.

_SLAP, SLAP!_

"Um…" the freckled-face blond watched uncomfortably as the girl nonchalantly slapped Gladio's exposed torso.

The Amicitia flexed his abs when he was struck, but remained unfazed as he glanced down to his childhood friend in question. Ignis, who stood behind them looked absolutely mortified. Like Prompto, he didn't expect Aracelis to do something so bold on a whim.

"You think this happens overnight?" huffed the girl as she slapped Gladio's abs a handful more times. "This here is years of hard work and dedication! You think you can get this physique with just a couple of weeks?"

Gladio stood with his chest puffed up and head held high, obviously preening at her words. Prompto never imagined the older teen was the vain sort, but after seeing this, he's quite confident that Gladio likes his ego to be stroked from time to time. Aracelis on the other hand, remained painfully oblivious.

"Umm… yeah, I didn't think I was going to get to Gladio's level overnight," admitted Prompto, disheartened at hearing it out loud from his own mouth.

"Not the point I'm trying to make," interrupted Aracelis before he could discourage himself further.

"Huh?" the blond glanced to her in question, not sure where she was going with the conversation.

"I'm not saying this to stop you from improving yourself," amended the older girl. "Rather, you shouldn't be using self-improvement as an excuse to hide and run away. If you want to befriend someone, go for it! You don't need to change who you are!"

Prompto found himself reprimanded yet again. He would start apologizing, but Aracelis didn't sound like she was finished yet. This was just like the night he met Gladio all over again.

"If you don't want to worry me, then stop giving me a reason to worry!" ranted the older girl.

"Y-yes ma'am!" squeaked Prompto. "But um…"

"What is it? Stop stuttering and speak up!" snapped Aracelis.

"But I don't know how to stop worrying you!" shouted Prompto.

His outburst stopped the older girl momentarily, as if to observe him. When she made no move to resume her angry chastising, he took it as an opportunity to finally voice out his thoughts.

"I'm… really sorry. I didn't mean to take advantage of your kindness. I was really trying to be less of a burden and a nuisance, but it seems like everything I try just makes it worse!" admitted Prompto as he wrung his hands nervously. "And…and! You're way too scary when you're worried about me!"

What followed after was a pensive expression on the older girl's face. Prompto paled, hands jittering and utterly flustered. He cannot believe that he actually said all of that out loud. He never shouted at anyone before, much less someone he didn't want to disappoint. The blond was close to having a panic attack when a deep bellowing laugh suddenly escaped Gladio. He seemed immensely amused as he stepped forward and clapped a firm hand on the blond's back.

"Good job kid, I guess you're not completely hopeless if you could tell Arie off," congratulated Gladio.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" Prompto began to apologize profusely, but to his surprise Ignis actually spoke up and was making his way toward them.

"If you send her regular updates, she's less inclined to be vexed with you," supplied Ignis as he adjusted his glasses. "Despite her high standards, Aracelis is not completely unreasonable."

"She might still bitch at you though," added Gladio wryly. "But that's normal."

"Shut up," cut in Aracelis, shooting a pointed glare at her friend. This only served to draw forward another laugh from Gladio.

Relief washed over Prompto at seeing the two older teens bicker. It was strange to have someone care about him. Even stranger, now that the number seems to have grown. Aracelis and Gladio felt like the older sister and brother he never had, but sorely wanted. He glanced over at Ignis who remained silent again. Underneath his glasses, Prompto could see a secret smile on his face. Prompto wasn't not quite sure what to make of the quiet young man, but he was nice enough to provide him reassurances when he didn't need to.

"I'm…" started Prompto meekly, but grew ever more confident. "I'm going to do my best!"

...Easier said than done.

"I can do this. I can do this," chanted Prompto. He slapped his hands soundly against his cheeks in hopes of building up courage.  
Despite how he promised Aracelis and Gladio that he would do better in the heat of the moment, it didn't make talking to the prince any less terrifying. His hands were clammy with sweat. His heart felt like it would pound out of his chest. Even the walk to school felt quicker than usual. Prompto became half convinced he might pass out in the middle of the street with each step he took.

"Haaaahhh…" breathed out the blond in an attempt to expend his nervous energy. "I got this!"

With renewed determination, he adjusted the strap on his wrist and walked towards the school entrance. Pointedly, he decided to ignore the looks he garnered from trying to calm himself earlier. Any other time, he would have ducked his head down with a red face and hurried his way into the school. Today, he kept his eyes peeled in search of any signs of the prince. He hoped to speak with him before class, so he doesn't chicken out later on in the day.

Unfortunately, the prince was nowhere to be found. As he glanced about, he noticed there weren't many other students around. Belatedly, he realized he must've arrived at school too early. So much for working up the courage to talk to the prince. The raven-haired boy wasn't even at school yet. The confidence all but deflated out of him as he trudged the rest of the way into the school.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" mumbled Prompto under his breath when he saw no one was in the classroom through the door window. Dejected, he planted his head against the door with a loud thump.

"…Not sure what the door did to you this early in the morning, but are you going to go in?" asked an unenthused voice from behind him.

"I'm moving," moped Prompto as he peeled himself off and opened the door. He took two steps in before realizing the person he was looking for was right behind him. "Prince Noctis!"

"What?" replied the prince obliviously, with a raised eyebrow as the blond gapped unattractively at him.

"I was looking for you!" started Prompto, but then immediately amended his words when he realized how creepy it sounded. "I mean… I'm Prompto Argentum. I don't know if you remember me but um…"

"Who could forget?" replied Noctis in amusement.

"Um… really?" said the blond hopefully.

"Not every day you meet someone who got hit by a car and who also happens to be an Assassin's Creed nerd," commented the raven-haired boy as he walked past him.

"…Oh," said Prompto, dejected that the prince's memory of him was that of an accident prone nerd. Maybe it was impossible for them to be friends after all.

"Are you just going to stand there?" called out Noctis from inside the classroom.

"Huh?" Prompto looked up when he realized the prince was still talking with him.

"It'll be awhile before anyone else gets here," continued Noctis offhandedly. "I managed to beat that boss battle I was telling you about in Aries' car."

It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when it finally did, Prompto had the biggest smile on his face. The weight from all the worries he felt up to this point were suddenly gone. He didn't waste a moment longer and followed the prince into the classroom. He barely managed to drop his bag at his desk before the two engaged each other in a conversation about their favorite game.

Now that they were finally talking, he wished he drew up his courage sooner. Noctis would've been his friend regardless of his size. Losing weight first was just an excuse. If not for Aracelis and Gladio, he probably would've never gotten the courage to talk to him. For what it's worth, everything went well and he couldn't be happier.


	5. Budding Friendship

 

Day in and day out, Gladio amounted to attending Crownsguard duties and training the brat prince, Noctis. The only reprieve he had in this mundane routine was training Aracelis' new charity case, Prompto. At first he meant to alleviate his friend's stress by toughening up the hapless kid so she would stop worrying and stressing over the boy. However, with each session he shared with Prompto, he realized how enjoyable it was to work with someone who made an effort for a change.

Prompto, while skittish and more likely to be terrified of his own shadow, was earnest and hardworking. Something the prince sorely lacked in all the time Gladio spent with him. Nowadays, he dreads making his way to the Citadel. To the same boring—

"Hey! Newbie!" shouted an unfamiliar woman's voice.

Gladio paused when he noticed there was no one in the vicinity of the Citadel halls that could be considered a newbie. Confused, he glanced back to the owner of the voice and spotted a dark-haired woman in the Kingsglaive uniform. She scowled and made her way towards him.

"Yes, I'm talking to you," said the irritated woman. "What do you think you're doing wandering in this part of the Citadel? All the new recruits are at the courtyard warming up for training."

"New recruits?" repeated Gladio before he realized the woman must be mistaking him for a Kingsglaive trainee since he wasn't in his Crownsguard uniform. It was not something he preferred to wear in public, so he opted to change at the Citadel rather than wear it at home. New Kingsglaive recruits tended to be around his age bracket so he couldn't fault the woman for making the mistake. "I'm not—"

"I don't care if you're not ready! You should've been in uniform before you came here!" scolded the woman.

The irony wasn't lost on Gladio as she grabbed onto his shoulder and forcibly steered him towards the courtyard. Logically, he should have stopped the older woman and explain the misunderstanding. However, she didn't seem like the sort to listen. So he decided to play along, half curious to see how long it would take before someone noticed he wasn't actually part of Kingsglaive.

As they made their way into the courtyard, Gladio spotted a number of fresh-faced recruits staring at the upper floors in amazement. The Amicitia followed their line of sight to the decorative stone archways. His eyes squinted through the sun glare to see a senior glaive jumping off the edge and throwing their issued dagger. The familiar sound of a blade cutting through air echoed in the courtyard before the glaive disappeared, leaving only a blue after image behind him.

"Libertus! I found a straggler," shouted the woman as she released her hold of Gladio's shoulder, shoving him towards the portly Kingsglaive standing by the wide-eyed recruits. Her push didn't move him far, but she didn't seem to be bothered by the fact.

"You caught a straggler, Crowe?" repeated the man named Libertus. A confused frown crossed his face as he glanced to his clipboard. "Everyone's accounted for. HR must've fucked up the list again. Just get in the group with everyone for now. We'll deal with the stupid paperwork later."

"But I'm not—" Gladio began to protest, but his words were ignored.

"Holy shit! He's going to fall!" shouted a new recruit in alarm.

At his interruption, Gladio turned his attention to the pillar in the middle of the courtyard and spotted a glaive falling at an alarming rate. A frown knitted at his brow, he's too far to tell whether or not the man was in stasis from overusing the warpstrike ability. Regardless, he couldn't let the man fall to his death. Without a word to either Crowe or Libertus, he darted towards the landing point of the glaive with the intention of redirecting his fall.

Having dealt with Noctis' reckless use of the warpstrike, he learned to redirect the falling boy to avoid serious injuries. From the height the glaive fell, he wasn't certain if he could do the same here, but he wasn't about to watch the poor bastard smash his brains out in the courtyard. Gladio had every intent to help the man, except it turned out the glaive didn't need his help at all.

In a turn of events, the glaive twisted in midair and chucked his dagger to the ground by Gladio's feet. The man disappeared in another flash of blue light before reappearing in a soft explosion. If he hadn't gotten so used to the prince attempting to use warpstrike as a means to take him down during training, he might've been startled. Instead, he was mildly annoyed that he failed to realize it was all part of the demonstration for the new Kingsglaive recruits.

"Hey newbie," chuckled the glaive. He knocked the hood of his uniform back and revealed a grinning stubble face with a fade haircut and short, dangling Galahdian braids.

"Quit scaring the new recruits Nyx!" shouted Libertus from behind them.

"Come on Libertus! That was all in good fun!" responded Nyx brightly before he clapped a hand on Gladio's shoulder. "Besides! It looks like we have a budding hero in the mix! This one tried to save me."

"I'm not Kingsglaive," stated Gladio, swatting the older man's hand away in annoyance. "I'm Crownsguard."

"Sure you are," grinned Nyx. He ruffled the indignant teen's hair as he stepped around him to walk towards Libertus and the new Kingsglaive recruits. "All right, demonstration over! I've shown you the fun stuff, now time to get to the boring stuff. Everyone pair up!"

"What are you waiting for newbie! Get your ass moving!" shouted Crowe.

"You heard her," called back Nyx in good humor.

"But I'm seriously not—!" protested Gladio, but he was never given the chance to explain himself.

Out of annoyance, Crowe stormed over to grab him by the collar of his shirt and drag him off to join the rest of the group. Before he knew it, Gladio found himself caught up in a training session with the Kingsglaive recruits. As hard as he tried to make his case, there was no convincing the senior glaives that he was part of Crownsguard. They insisted on treating him like Kingsglaive and oddly… he grew to enjoy it once the training was well on its way.

"Overcompensating much?" commented Crowe dryly when she spotted Gladio with the massive training greatsword.

"Well, you know what they say," joked Libertus heartily. "It's not the size that matters, but how you use it."

"Wanna show us how to use that, kid?" teased Nyx. He twirled a pair of training daggers in his hands as he slipped into a battle stance.

"You're not my type, but if you want an ass beating. I'll gladly give it to you," boasted Gladio. He hefted the training sword over his shoulder at the ready and lowered his stance to prepare himself for a lunge.

"Big words little man," grinned Nyx. "Show me what you got."

Unlike Crownsguard where the hierarchy of respect was strictly reinforced, Kingsglaive had a far more relaxed stance when it came to mingling between the ranks. Hazing and countless innuendo-laced jokes aside, the members of Kingsglaive were generally friendly and open to reciprocated joshing. Gladio couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun with training.

With the size difference in weapons, Nyx never met him blow for blow. Instead, the older man parried and dodged whenever he could and struck back when Gladio left an opening. It was an interesting experience for the Amicitia. Gladio foundCrownsguard fought with a more direct approach, while Kingsglaive used more guerilla warfare tactics. The difference made the fight challenging and an exhilarating change to his routine.

"Gladiolus!" snapped a commanding voice.

The courtyard fell into a dead silence as the newcomer drew everyone's attention to him. Gladio bit back a curse when he recognized the man as Cor Leonis, Marshall of the Crownsguard. Subsequently, he realized the impromptu training with Kingsglaive had made him late for his shift at the Citadel.

"Sir!" started Gladio, ready to explain the situation. Just as he was about to do so, Nyx planted a hand on his shoulder and roughly shuffled him behind him.

"Marshall," greeted the glaive professionally as he stood in front of the teen. "What brings you around these parts?"

"Is there a reason you have possession of one of my Crownsguard?" demanded the man coolly.

"…Crownsguard?" hushed murmurings broke out among the recruits, but no one dared to say more at the sight of Cor.

"Just a little cross-division training sir," replied Nyx smoothly. "It ran a little longer than expected. We'll be more mindful of it next time."

Gladio's eyes widened in surprise at the blatant lie. Though, he wasn't certain if it was because the man had the gall to lie to Cor, the attempt to cover for him, or the fact that Gladio was now stuck with the lie and can't come clean without contradicting the man. Overall, he was confused, annoyed and highly affronted by the two talking about him as if he doesn't exist.

"Is that so?" noted Cor. It was obvious he didn't believe a word coming out of Nyx's mouth. However, for the sake of civility, he didn't call the man out.

"Definitely sir!" answered Nyx pleasantly. "The kid's an interesting challenge for the new recruits."

"I see." Cor dismissed the matter before he turned his heel to leave. "If you're quite done. Gladio, with me."

"Yes sir!" said the Amicitia teen as he adjusted his grip on the training sword and handed it to Nyx hilt side up. "It was… an interesting exercise."

The older glaive raised an eyebrow at his words, but a smile quirked up at the corner of his lips as he takes the training weapon and shoots a finger gun at him. "Back at you."

Weapon returned, Gladio circled around Nyx and hurried after his superior. Cor's steady pace gave him an ample amount of time to catch up as they made their way out of the courtyard and into the Citadel. The lavish dark marble halls glimmered against the artificial lights. It made Gladio long for the outside again.

"Cross-division training? I'm sure you have a better explanation than his laughable excuse." Cor commented wryly once they were out of hearing range of the Kingsglaive.

"A misunderstanding sir," admitted Gladio. "I was out of uniform and one of the glaives thought I was a recruit."

"Did they now?" scoffed Cor in amusement. "I suppose it cannot be helped, there aren't many young Crownsguards joining nowadays."

"I'll be sure to wear my uniform before I arrive at the Citadel from now on. This won't happen again," assured Gladio.

"No matter," dismissed Cor. "From what I've seen, you look like you enjoyed the exchange."

"..Sir?" frowned Gladio in confusion.

"I had wondered what broke your perfect attendance," noted the older Crownsguard. "You may do as you please with the Kingsglaive, so long as it's not during your hours of duty."

"Uh… understood," said Gladio before he glanced to Cor in question. "I know I was late sir, but was there a reason that you were looking for me personally?"

"Ah yes. About Aracelis Hester, that girl is in service to your family, correct?" asked Cor.

"Yes sir, she's a family friend," replied Gladio with furrowed brows. "Did she do something wrong?"

"No, nothing of the sort," reassured Cor when he noticed the concern on the younger man's face. "She dropped off the prince at the gates a couple of weeks ago. The guards mentioned she didn't drive him directly in because there was someone without clearance in her car at the time. She's not in trouble if that's your concern."

"…Someone without clearance in her car?" repeated Gladio thoughtfully. Of all the people he could imagine his childhood friend letting into her car, he could likely count them all on one hand. However, ones without clearance to the Citadel, the only person he could think of was… "Prompto."

"Prompto?" repeated Cor with interest.

"Ah, he's somewhat of a charity case that Aracelis took interest in recently," explained Gladio. "He's harmless. I wouldn't worry too much about a security breach, if he's the one in her car."

"I see," confirmed Cor. "Thanks for satisfying my curiosity then, Gladiolus. I'll leave you to return to your duties then."

"Yes sir," confirmed Gladio.

Cor left him once they've reached the main halls. Idly, Gladio wondered why Prompto and the prince were in Aracelis' car. However, he was more alarmed she caught the attention of Crownsguard. While he's certain his childhood friend would never do anything treasonous against the crown, he couldn't say he understood half the things she does on a regular basis.

* * *

"…Starscourge is a 2000-year-old plague that somehow resurfaced in the last 200 years?" murmured Aracelis in surprise.

Truthfully, she couldn't remember much about the details of the scourge from her last life. To her, it was just a creative explanation to justify why monsters disappeared after they were defeated. She knew it had a deeper connection to the lore and the decade of darkness, but she was more focused with quest completion rather than the lore. Nevertheless, she hoped the research would've bought her more time with Ignis, but she didn't think the other teen would be so efficient and quick about it.

A deep frown marred her face as she walked through the halls, immersed with Ignis' research. She needed more time to think of another topic to keep him busy. More than once, other students had stepped out of the way to avoid colliding with her in her inattentive state. For those who didn't, Ignis reached out to redirect the distracted girl.

The first time he did so, the quiet teen hastily pulled away, embarrassed with apologies at the ready. However, when he realized Aracelis hadn't even noticed, the apologies died at his lips and it became a regular occurrence for him to move her out of harm's way without a word.

"You'd think someone would've thought to create a vaccine for the scourge," muttered Aracelis as she flipped through the notes. "From what you've found, it sounds like a virus."

"An interesting suggestion," commented Ignis thoughtfully. "Perhaps you should delve into the field of microbiology."

"Hmm… I can't say I'm interested in the field enough to make a career out of it," noted the girl before the growing chatter from the student body caught her attention. She hadn't realized they've reached the cafeteria. "Why don't you go find seats? I'll go get us some coffee."

"Aracelis, a moment?" requested Ignis before she made her way towards the counter.

"What?" asked Aracelis, stopping mid-step before glancing up at him.

"Let's forgo coffee for today," suggested the taller teen.

"…What? Why?" frowned Aracelis.

Up until now, she always got him coffee in exchange for his help. It was the only excuse she had in order to continue associating with him. After he called her out last time for faking a desire for friendship, she was wary of repeating the attempt a second time. The astute young man had a way with spotting insincerity and fake pleasantries.

It was one of the reasons that she bothered waiting on line to get him coffee every day, even though she considered it an utter waste of time. On bad days, it can take over ten minutes to get to the counter then when she finally gets there, it can take another five before she receives the coffee. Why it takes five minutes for someone to pour a cup of black coffee with no sugar or milk was beyond her. Logically, she could save some time if she made it at home, but then she would have to lug it around all day in a thermos. Not to mention, there was the inelegance of having to wait for Ignis to finish his drink to get the container back.

Regardless, it doesn't matter if she buys it or makes it herself at this point. If Ignis doesn't want coffee, there was little else she could think to offer in order to continue approaching him. He hasn't mentioned once what he wanted in return for his research and she couldn't risk waiting for him to call in the favor under the time constraint. As things were now, she needed to find a way for him to meet Noctis.

"…There won't be enough time for you to eat, if you wait on line for coffee," replied Ignis evenly.

"Time to eat?" repeated Aracelis in confusion. "Uh… I'm not sure how long it takes you to eat lunch, but I assure you it doesn't take long for me to eat a granola bar."

"While I'm aware of your choice of poor diet, I cannot in good conscious allow you to continue," stated Ignis. "Especially when the reason you chose to eat granola bars is to save time and the time you gain from such practice in turn is being used to get me coffee."

"So… are you telling me to get lunch instead of coffee?" queried Aracelis with uncertainty. "Because I'm not following."

"I'm saying I made you lunch," replied Ignis in exasperation as he held up a small discreet looking canvas bag.

"…Oh," said the freckled girl, dumbfounded by the food offer. "That's… unexpected."

"I suppose it was rather presumptuous on my part," faltered Ignis as he lowered the bag.

Aracelis found herself at a loss for words. Her thoughts ran a mile a minute as she tried to understand what was happening. Of all the things that could happen, a homemade lunch from Ignis Scientia was definitely not one of the possibilities in her calculations. She came to see her interactions with the quiet teen as  _strictly business_ , brief impersonal transactions. This? This is out of her jurisdiction.

"My apologies," amended Ignis. He took a step back, ready to turn-tail and leave. "You don't have to eat it if you prefer not to. I shouldn't have—"

She grabbed hold of his arm before he could attempt to flee. While she had no clue what on earth was going on, this was the golden opportunity she was waiting for.

"No, you definitely should have!" interrupted Aracelis firmly. She needn't think about what to say to start up a conversation if Ignis' cooking was the topic. He enjoyed cooking after all. What could go wrong? "Actually, I have always wanted to try out your cooking."

"Indeed?" noted Ignis with a delicately raised brow. "I don't believe I've ever told you about my cooking..."

"I-it," spluttered Aracelis indignantly, she clenched her jaw briefly to keep from losing her composure. The other teen caught her off guard and she had foolishly forgotten that they haven't spoken enough for her to casually know about his hobbies. "It doesn't mean I don't want to try it! You made it for me, so I'm going to eat it."

"…If you insist," continued Ignis despite the apprehension on his face. "Shall we relocate?"

"To your usual spot?" quipped Aracelis. She wasn't sure if she managed to salvage the situation, but at least it wasn't a complete loss.

"Indeed," nodded Ignis before he moved his free hand to adjust his glasses. "Um… but before that, do you mind returning my arm?"

Aracelis blinked, her gaze trailed down to the aforementioned limb. Belatedly, she released her hold on his arm and dropped her hand to her side. A tenuous bout of relief washed over Ignis as he took a step back to regain his personal space. He gave Aracelis a rather perplexed look before turning his heel and leading the way out of the school halls.

For the last two months, getting coffee, trekking through the courtyard and ambling her way towards his obscure alcove became her daily routine. On bad days, she'd waste over half her lunchbreak waiting on line to order coffee. This was the first time she was going there for lunch.

Even so, she refrained from her usual commentary to avoid accidentally offending Ignis a second time. The quiet teen seemed rather skittish as he laid out a neatly packed container for each of them. Aracelis took note of the colorful assortment of vegetables and pasta. Visually, it was heavier than what she normally ate while at school, but it wasn't something that would induce digestion drowsiness later.

"I'm not sure what you liked to eat, so I thought pasta primavera was a safe avenue." Ignis offered a tentative explanation as he handed her a fork. "You're not allergic to anything are you?"

"I'm not a picky eater and I don't think I'm allergic to anything," replied Aracelis as she accepted the offered fork.

With some trepidation, she gingerly poked into the pasta primavera, careful to get a little of everything onto the fork. Though cooled, she could still smell the aroma of roasted garlic and cheese wafting from the container. As she took in her first bite, she found the mild flavors to be rather pleasant and delicious.

"Huh, this is actually really good," said Aracelis in surprise before she happily dug in.

Although she knew Ignis was touted as a chef in the original timeline, she thought his cooking was more akin to five star restaurants with eccentric and aberrant flavors. In actuality, his food tasted like homemade comfort. Having bounced from one caretaker to the next in her previous life, her meals were often takeout or microwavable frozen dinners. She seldom had the chance to eat something that was homemade. By the time she reached adulthood in that life, she had resigned to ordering food out of habit and convenience.

This life was decidedly different. Despite what Ignis says about her diet of granola bars, she genuinely enjoys home cooked meals. How could she not when her mother Selene put such loving effort into her meals on a regular basis? It was one of the reasons why it was so easy to accept her place in this new life. Of course, there were down sides to having such a doting mother. The woman, though kind and sweet, was a tyrant when it came to her pristine kitchen. Neither Aracelis nor her father Alder dare to make anything beyond tea and coffee while in her domain.

"I'm glad to see you enjoy it," commented Ignis, relief clear on his face.

"You know… It kind of reminds me of my mom's cooking," stated the brunette with fondness tinting in her voice as she shuffled the pieces of vegetables for easier stabbing.

"Like your mother's cooking?" repeated the bespectacled teen curiously. "How so?"

"I don't know how to cook, so I can't really point out where it's similar but…" paused Aracelis thoughtfully before she glanced up to the other teen with a warm smile. "It was a nice surprise. I don't mind if we do this again."

Ignis' sage green eyes widened briefly, surprised by the sudden and uninhibited smile from the brunette. He had seen her smile many times before, but those were often restrained or sardonic in nature. Ignis found himself a bit stunned and somewhat rewarded to receive such a rare soft expression.

"…I suppose I wouldn't be against it," answered Ignis politely, unsure ofwhat else to say in response.

The two continued the rest of their meal in relative silence. While neither of them were completely at ease with one another, it was comparatively better than the awkward exchange they shared outside the cafeteria. They were still far from being friends, but at least they were a bit above normal acquaintances. For that, Aracelis felt grateful. It made her life a little bit easier if their lunch outings were to continue.

Nonetheless, she might actually have to start brewing coffee and lugging it to school in a thermos because of this. A fair price to pay but at least she doesn't have to worry about finding another reason to talk to Ignis. She just had to find a way to get him to meet Nocits instead.

Except… Ignis wasn't who she should have been worried about.

_Ring, Ring!_

Aracelis frowned in bewilderment when her phone rang barely ten minutes after classes ended. A quick glance showed Gladio's name. It was odd for him to call her when he was technically still on the clock for his Crownsguard duty.

"Gladio?" questioned Aracelis after she swiped the screen to answer the call.

"Hey Arie," started Gladio casually. "Quick question, you wouldn't happen to know where the prince is, do you?"

"Why would I know where he is?" snapped Aracelis, indignant that he would assume that she'd know… Albeit, she does from mapping out the prince's arcade patterns, but she wasn't about to admit it.

"Listen, he's been skipping out a lot on training" explained Gladio. "In short of marching down to his school the moment it lets out to drag his ass back to the Citadel, I can't think of a better way to catch him without causing a scene."

"I'm surprised you're even considerate enough to come to that conclusion," noted Aracelis dryly.

"The kid may be a brat, but he is still the prince," groused the Amicitia. "It does the Crown no favors if the populace thinks poorly of him."

"Spoken like a true shield," complimented Aracelis to reinforce as much positivity as she could. There was so little of it between him and Noctis, it made it hard to get them to tolerate each other, let alone like one another.

"Just because I hate the brat doesn't mean I'm not going to take my job seriously," scoffed Gladio. "So, can you find out where he is for me or not?"

"What are you going to do when you find him? Beat him over the head like a caveman and lug him back to the Citadel?" asked the girl as she shouldered her phone so she could pack away her things.

"I'll think of something," replied the other.

"How reassuring," stated Aracelis brusquely. "Considering he hates your guts as much as you hate his. Honestly, have you ever tried being nice to him?"

"That's rich, coming from you," retorted Gladio. She didn't need to see him to know he was rolling his eyes at her.

"What are you talking about? I'm the epitome of kindness," said Aracelis, her voice thick with sarcasm. "Woodland creatures come to my aid when I sing."

"Maybe if they're tone deaf or daemons," snorted Gladio. "I'll be waiting by the front gates for you. Come when you're ready."

"…Wait, you're outside?" said Aracelis in disbelief. "What if I'd said no?"

"Then I would've—what was it that you said earlier? Beat you over the head like a caveman and carry you off?" joked Gladio.

"You're incorrigible," huffed the girl.

"See you soon Arie," laughed Gladio heartily.

Without another word, Aracelis ended the call with an exasperated sigh. She tucked the loose strands of hair that came undone from her once neat bun behind her ear before she started swiping her phone's screen for her notes on Noctis' schedule. Just when things were looking up, Gladio had to throw a wrench in her plans. She should've known he was going to ask her to help with hunting down Noctis when the boy skipped out on one too many training sessions.

"You sound rather frustrated," asked Ignis considerately. "Is everything okay?"

"Okay's not quite the word I'd choose when it comes to Gladio and his bias," muttered Aracelis. Her brows furrowed as she went through the list and mentally calculated how much time she had in coming up with a resolution before she figuratively releases the prince's acerbic shield on him. "I doubt he'll cause a scene later, but… we'll see."

"You don't sound certain," frowned Ignis.

"Gladio…" She paused, trying to find the right way to describe her childhood friend before giving up and bluntly continuing. "While he's well-disciplined, it's somewhat of a crapshoot when he loses his temper."

"I see," murmured Ignis pensively as she finished setting up the navigation and went about packing her things. "…Would you mind if I accompanied you?"

"What? You intend to act as my meat shield if he goes berserk?" commented the girl wryly as she looped the strap of her messenger briefcase over her shoulder. "Or are you going to try to take him on?"

"Do I look like the sort to resort to violence?" deadpanned Ignis.

"Ah, then you intend to serenade him with reason," quipped Aracelis jovially. "Good luck with that, not just anyone can convince Gladio to—"

The brunette paused as she pressed her lips against the back of her knuckles in consideration. Not anyone could convince Gladio, but Ignis wasn't just anyone. He was the voice of reason. If there was someone who could silver tongue someone into submission, the prince's adviser was definitely the person to do it.

"Aracelis?" Ignis' concern laced voice snapped her out of her thoughts before she returned her attention to him.

" _You_  are going to talk reason into Gladio's thick head," decided Aracelis brightly.

"What? But I never agreed to—" protested Ignis, but his objection was ignored.

"Come on, no time to waste!" dismissed Aracelis as she took quick strides out of the room to prevent any further attempt from the taller teen to back out.

She wasn't sure if he was going to follow, but when she heard the familiar cadence of his steady footsteps catching up, a smile crept up on her face. It was surprising for him to volunteer to come along before she set the dauntless task of persuading Gladio on his shoulders. However, between this and lunch, she wasn't sure what she did to gain Ignis'... What was their relationship anyhow? A bit more than acquaintanceship, but not quite friendship, at least not yet.

Regardless of what they were, Gladio's dislike towards Noctis actually worked in her favor in this instance. Now, she had an excuse for Ignis to meet the prince.

* * *

When Ignis decided to make the conspiracy-prone brunette lunch, it was to assuage the guilt he felt after calculating how much time and money the girl spent in getting him coffee. Every time he appeared to back out of helping her, she would latch onto his arm with a peculiar level of desperation. This made him reconsider if that fake attempt at friendship was actually fake at all. Her level of dedication felt out of place even for the sake of her delusional theories.

Apart from the older Amicitia teen, Ignis has never seen Aracelis interact with anyone that was remotely close to a friend. This odd acquaintanceship they share might actually be the closest thing either of them have to a friendship while attending Valetis. He and Aracelis were similar in that neither of them spoke to their peers unless they absolutely needed to. They differ in that the shorter girl would be more caustic with her words whereas he would maintain politeness in his.

…Much like now. Aracelis dragged Ignis pass decorative pillars surrounding the modern-esq fountains leading out of the school. As they approached the school gates they found Gladio with arms crossed and back leaning on the brick archway.

"Took you long enough," he greeted them dryly.

"I can't believe you just showed up assuming I was going to help you," huffed Aracelis once she was in range. It took Gladio no more than a second to take notice of Ignis' presence before he glanced to the shorter girl once more.

"I know you said he was an important classmate the last time we met, but is there something you want to tell me? Or is this something you want me to keep from your mother Selene?"

"Ha-ha," retorted Aracelis sharply. "Save your big brother teasing for Iris when she's old enough to get a boyfriend. Besides, Ignis is not here for me, he's here to  _serenade_  you."

At her words, Gladio raised an eyebrow and glanced to Ignis again in question. The normally stoic teen shook his head in frantic disconcertion. He couldn't be sure if the brunette's unfortunate turn of phrasing was on purpose or not. Much like how she introduced him the first time he met Gladio, her words were vague and left it up for a multitude of interpretations. He's glad that the older teen understood that whatever Aracelis said needed to be taken with far more context than what's available.

"… Arie, I love you as a friend and sister, but you honestly need to work on how you phrase things," criticized Gladio, annoyance clear on his face.

"What?" frowned Aracelis, oblivious to the cause of his ire.

"For the sake of brevity, Aracelis volunteered me to advise you on relationship niceties," interjected Ignis before the girl could make the situation more awkward. "She hasn't informed me on the specifics as to why you're at odds with this individual, but she believes that I can convince you to get along with him. Despite the fact that I know nothing of your circumstances."

"…You think this guy can somehow convince me to like the brat prince?" asked Gladio in disbelief.

"Tolerate," corrected Aracelis with a raised finger as if to make a point. "Let's get you to  _tolerating_  the prince before we get you to liking him."

Ignis blinked in surprise as she walked past her displeased friend and off school property. The muscular teen engaged her in a heated argument as they made their way towards her car. The prince wasn't who the quiet teen expected Gladio to be at odds with, not when the Amicitias were supposed to act as the sworn shield to the Crown. Aracelis' conspiracy obsession almost made sense, now that Gladio was part of the equation.

He initially assumed her odd obsession was due to a strong sense of patriotism. However, it was more reasonable if she was doing it for the sake of a friend. Her derisive demeanor aside, the girl does have a heart even if she's not particularly good at showing it, as indicative by Prompto's apparent terror at her overbearing concern.

"No, you're sitting in the back so you can talk to Ignis!" reproached Aracelis when the Amicitia teen tried to take the front seat.

"Hell no! Your backseat is cramped," refused Gladio.

"It's technically  _your_  car," countered Aracelis.

"I'm not sitting in the back," asserted the muscular teen stubbornly.

"Then you drive so Ignis can sit in the front with you," said Aracelis as she prodded a stern finger at his chest. "Either way, you're talking to him so you fix whatever it is you have against the prince."

Watching the heated exchange between the two friends was far more interesting than Ignis would like to admit. Their amusing bickering consisted of a mix of ceaseless insults and arguing that varied in logic and childishness, resting soundly in the absurd. Each of them was stubborn in their own way, but ultimately Aracelis won out. Gladio took to the driver's seat in a grouchy fashion while the shorter girl grinned smugly enjoying her well-earned victory over the other. It's a wonder that she even bothered with asking Ignis for his assistance with the prince's shield. It seemed to him that she could easily strong arm Gladio verbally into getting along with the prince by herself.

An incredulous and mildly amused scoff escaped his lips as he made his way to the front passenger seat. Speaking of getting verbally strong-armed, Ignis noticed Aracelis turning her attention to him, triumph clear on her face. Backing out now was an act of futility, he no longer had a choice much like Gladio. It made him almost regret indulging her… almost.

"It might be easier to have Aracelis force the prince to get along with you rather than trying to convince you to tolerate him," commented Ignis offhandedly amidst the looming silence in the car.

"You're supposed to reason with Gladio, not side with him," griped the brunette.

"Is it not true though?" mused the straight-faced teen. "You have a way with subjugating people to your will, do you not?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" frowned Aracelis.

"It means you're a bossy bitch," roared Gladio with laughter as he slapped the steering wheel. "You know what, I like this friend of yours. He's not so bad."

"I'm glad you approve," deadpanned the girl humorlessly. "But that still doesn't solve the issue between you and the prince."

Ignis glanced at the rearview mirror to the sour expression on the brunette's freckled face. She was vexed by Gladio's mirth, but she hadn't denied his assumption of their friendship.

"There's no fixing this," dismissed the Amicitia.

"Why not try finding a redeeming quality of the prince?" suggested Ignis, drawing his attention away from the mirror and towards Gladio once more. "Rather than forcing yourself to accept him, find something about him you think is acceptable."

"There's nothing acceptable about that brat," stated Gladio bluntly.

"You haven't even tried!" snapped Aracelis.

"What exactly do you dislike about the prince then?" asked Ignis when it seemed like they were at an impasse regarding the older teen's disposition.

"We'll be here till doomsday if you let him rant about what he dislikes about the prince," grumbled Aracelis. "From how he talks to how he walks, Gladio will find something to gripe about."

"That's because you don't have to deal with the brat on a regular basis!" countered Gladio.

As the two fell into yet another heated argument, Ignis decided to cease his attempts with the older teen. There was simply no point in him doing so with Aracelis inadvertently rekindling the Amicitia's ire. Idly, he wondered how these two ever get through a conversation when it seems like they're constantly at odds with one another.

By the time they reached their destination, the stoic teen felt like an unwitting hostage dragged along by his captors. Neither Gladio nor Aracelis stopped bickering even after the car was parked and they were en route through the busy streets of Insomnia. The level of mortification Ignis felt in trailing after them was insurmountable. The last time he felt this discomforted was back in grade school when his peers were all inconsolable children.

"Enough!" snapped Ignis, finally losing his temper.

Gladio and Aracelis fell silent, startled by his uncharacteristic loudness. It appeared that they've forgotten his presence in the midst of quarreling with one another.

"The two of you will cease bickering at once!" commanded Ignis. His sage green eyes alight with ire. "Regardless of your stance on the prince, we are in a public space. Neither of you are children, so act appropriately according to your station! And don't either of you dare try to blame each other. You're both behaving like juveniles."

Ignis noted with pleasure that the two had the decency to appear embarrassed and ashamed by their actions. Neither of them verbally apologized, but the shift in their body language was more than enough to tell him otherwise. Eyes averted, Gladio rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. Similarly, Aracelis latched onto the crook of her right arm with her left hand as she glanced elsewhere. He didn't see the need to chide them any further. However, before he could decide on what to say next, the sound of a camera shutter snapping caught their attention.

_Click, sha-shick!_

The three followed the source of the sound and found a bewildered Noctis staring at them along with Prompto who unabashedly snapped yet another picture of the group.

"…I have no clue who you are," started Noctis quietly. A soft chortle escaped his lips, followed by a wry grin. "But you're officially the coolest person I know to be able to do that to them."

Face red, Ignis adjusted his glasses to hide his embarrassment from the compliment. In hindsight, he felt rather out of character to speak so brazenly when he shared so little familiarity with Aracelis and her childhood friend. Then again, the girl did happen to drag him out of his comfort zone. Under such circumstances, he decided it was natural for him to act out of character.

He might not know everyone present intimately, but it seems that Aracelis has a knack for drawing out the unexpected from those around her. Gladio, who appears well-disciplined on first impression, devolved into a childish argument within minutes of her presence. Prompto, who was shy and self-conscious the last he saw him, grew bold enough to snap photos of this nonsensical episode. As for Prince Noctis, Ignis has never personally met him before, but the younger boy seemed open and friendly contrary to what he heard in the car.

All in all, Ignis wasn't sure what to make of this. He felt as if he had gotten himself deep into something he shouldn't have and that it was far too late to go back to the way things were. To his surprise, this notion didn't bother him. Compared to his old routine, he found this far more interesting and even exhilarating. After much deliberation, Ignis decided it wasn't so bad to indulge Aracelis and her odd whims.


	6. A Slice of Life

 

_Knock, knock!_

"Big sister Arie, may we come in?" chimed Selene cheerfully from the other side of her daughter's bedroom door. She sat with her knees on the ground holding Talcott up by the underside of his arms. The small baby stood on his tiptoes, toddling as he struggled to balance himself.

"Awie!" Six-month-old Talcott mimicked her actions slapping his pudgy hand against the smooth wooden surface.

"…Can I say no?" returned Aracelis dully. Unknown to Selene, the younger Hester was secretly playing a mobile game on her phone with the sound turned off.

"Pretty please? Talcott wants to see his big sister!" chirped Selene.

The room fell silent for a moment before the sound of a rolling chair and soft footsteps announced Aracelis' movement towards the door. A jiggle and a soft click later, the door opened. The disgruntled freckle-faced girl looked puzzled for a second before she turned her attention downwards and spotted Selene smiling up at her. Talcott bounced excitedly at the sight of his sister and attempted to walk to her with the help of his mother's guiding hold.

"Awie!" squealed Talcott in delight. He clapped his hands excitedly holding up his arms to indicate he wanted to be picked up.

"No," stated Aracelis bluntly, refusing to kneel down to pull him into her arms.

Despite the heartwarming display, the girl's frigid demeanor failed to soften. At her dismissal, Talcott's lower lip trembled, his eyes glistening with the threat of tears.

"Oh come on Arie, he wants you," cooed Selene gently. She pulled Talcott into her lap and grasped his ankles lightly to tap his feet together. The threat of tears abated and he was temporarily distracted from Aracelis' rejection. "Honestly, how could you treat him like the scourge? You were never this cold towards Iris when she was a baby."

"… I also didn't live with Iris," sassed the brunette offhandedly.

"Aracelis Hester!"

At this, the brunette flinched in surprise.

It wasn't often Selene used that tone. Whenever she did, Aracelis always averted her gaze and shifted uncomfortably as if she were a child all over again.

Selene has long learned the little habits and quirks of her eldest. She understood a long time ago that her daughter's cold exterior could be off-putting to most. Aracelis seldom made many, if any, friends. It just wasn't in her daughter's personality to be considerate of other people's feelings. Even so, Selene knows in her heart that Aracelis has the capacity to care. Her daughter just needs a little push in the right direction from time to time.

"I can understand your need for time and space during the school year for your studies and whatever activities you're involved with. But it's summer break! Spend some time with your little brother," finished Selene. She held out Talcott for her daughter to take.

"…Fine," muttered Aracelis relenting. She reluctantly reached out for her little brother.

At the sight of his sister's arms, Talcott's attention drew away from their mother's distraction methods and squealed in delight. He scrambled off his mother's lap into her arms. Aracelis stumbled at the sudden weight and quickly readjusted her hold. The toddler, oblivious to her fumbling, giggled and nestled happily against her. Despite her reserved demeanor, the older girl took a breath of relief once he settled.

"Was that so bad?" grinned Selene brightly. She clapped her hands together in triumph resting the side of her cheek against them.

Aracelis sighed, her dark brown eyes glanced suspiciously to her grinning mother. "…Mother, what is it that  _you're really_ here for?"

"I need to run out to get some groceries," chirped Selene. Her tone suggested no remorse at being caught with this ulterior motive. "Can you be a dear and watch your brother for a bit?"

"What?" cried Aracelis in disbelief and began to protest vehemently. "But I know nothing about the intricacies of motherhood!"

"Pish-posh," dismissed Selene chuckling. "Don't think I didn't notice you watching while I was taking care of your brother. You know how I do things."

"But—"

"—And!" Selene continued before her daughter could get another word in edgewise. "I know you have contingency plans in case anything ever happens. Am I wrong?"

"…No," agreed the girl grudgingly, resigning to her mother's will.

"That's my girl!" gushed Selene merrily. She stood up from the ground to cup Aracelis's face and peck her quickly on the forehead before doing the same to Talcott. "Now, you be a good boy for your big sister. Mommy will be back as soon as possible."

"… I still don't see why you can't just take him with you," noted her daughter.

"I'll make your favorite," sang Selene.

"… That isn't much of a bribe," stated Aracelis bluntly. "Since, you always make my favorite."

"And _dessert_ ," continued the woman teasingly.

"Just go," sighed Aracelis in exasperation.

"Oh, you never let me have any fun," huffed Selene, woeful and dramatic.

Aracelis rolled her eyes, long since used to her mother's antics. She retreated into her room with Talcott in her arms and closed the door. Selene couldn't resist the giggle that escaped her as she turned to leave. It was nice to see her daughter act like an exasperated teenager instead of the overly studious rule abiding standard she insists on upholding.

Selene made her way to the local market. The crisp air accompanied by the warm afternoon sun added a pep to her step. It was a lovely day for food shopping, but that didn't keep anxious thoughts from filling up her mind with worry. Selene just couldn't fathom why her daughter was ever so serious. Both Selene and her husband Alder showed Aracelis nothing but love and support. When she was a child they always had to encourage her to do more things for children her own age.

However, Aracelis never seemed to take an interest in the normal activities meant for kids in her age group. Most children begged their parents for toys and park playdates, but in the Hester family, it was the opposite. Selene had to bargain with her daughter to get her to play with other children. Her father-in-law, Jared, reasoned that she was simply a child with an old soul. He assured her that it was hardly abnormal nor a cause for worry.

Groceries procured, Selene paid for her purchases and left the store. With how quickly Aracelis matured, she was concerned that her daughter would miss out on the little things in life. Making friends and having fun are things that children should enjoy while they still had their youth. If only—

_Riiiip!_

"Oh!" yelped Selene.

Her paper bag tore open, unceremoniously dropped its contents all over the ground.

"Oh darn! I knew I should've brought my own bag," lamented the woman with a defeated sigh.

She stared mournfully at her scattered groceries and baby diapers littered all over the sidewalk. In hindsight, she really should've brought her car. She didn't intend to buy diapers, but she couldn't resist as they were on sale. How was she going to get everything home without a bag? She could go back to the market, but it felt horrible leaving a mess in the middle of the busy pedestrian walk.

As she troubled over her dilemma, a young man exiting the same market came upon her situation.

"Ma'am, you look rather flustered. Do you need some help?" the soft spoken young man offered.

Selene drew her attention away from the mess on the ground and took notice of the green-eyed teen peering at her, his own durable bag of groceries strung over his shoulder.

"Oh! If you don't mind the trouble sweetheart that would be wonderful!" said the woman in relief. "I don't live very far away,"

"It's no trouble at all," reassured the teen as they proceeded to gather her groceries and pile them neatly into his reusable bag.

"Thank you so much! You are so polite!" gushed Selene as they finished up and began walking together. "You know, my girl is about your age. If only she could be half as considerate as you are and—Oh! Listen to me go off, I never even asked for your name."

"…Ignis," answered the young man quietly, clearly unused to being around someone as bubbly and excitable as Selene.

* * *

When Ignis went through his weekly routine of picking up groceries, he hadn't expected to come across the distraught mother and her bag mishap. Naturally, he offered her his assistance. It was common decency after all. Selene was a friendly woman and by the time they made their way off the busy streets and into the residential area, she had given him more compliments than anyone else he's ever met. It bordered on uncomfortable at some point.

Despite his discomfort, Ignis remained politely silent. He said nothing apart from nods and subtle acknowledgements as the woman directed them to her house. Selene eventually took notice of his discomfort and thankfully allowed the rest of the walk to fall into a pleasant silence with the exception of her absent-minded humming.

Slowly, but surely, they eventually arrived at a quaint two-floored house with a blue roof and a neatly trimmed hedge fence. The neighborhood was definitely among the higher tax bracket if the absurdly huge mansion next door with a three-door garage was any indication. Selene had a skip in her stride as she made her way up the front steps to unlock the door. Ignis allowed his gaze on the house to linger for a brief second before shouldering their weighty bag of groceries higher and followed her up the steps. Selene helpfully kept the door open for him as he stepped into the foyer.

"I can't thank you enough," said Selene gratefully. She closed the door behind him and moved to relieve him of the heavy bag of groceries. "Why don't you go take a seat in the living room while I get everything sorted? I'll even pack you some homemade treats for helping me!"

"Erm… you don't have to—"

"Nonsense!" huffed Selene, cutting his protest short and ushered him down the hall with a firm push. "It's the least I can do and it won't take long at all. Go, go!"

Ignis glanced at Selene helplessly. The woman pushed him towards the door to the living room before taking a right into the kitchen. He took in a deep breath, resigning to the unexpected wait. It made him almost regret helping her, but he was quick to dismiss the thought. Selene was only trying to repay him even though he didn't expect her to do anything of the sort.

With his groceries held hostage, he stepped into the living room with the intent of finding a seat and waiting out however long it will take Selene to unpack her purchases and return his. What he didn't expect to see was Aracelis seated at the soft baby blue couch, reading to a small child in her lap. He did a double take not quite trusting his vision. He was taken aback at seeing her in plain regular clothing for the first time. He had grown so used to seeing her in the proper Valetis uniform, consisting of a fine black and silver lined blazer with matching knee length skirt. It was jarring seeing her barefooted, sporting shorts and a plain T-shirt.

"… In the line of kings, Queen Crepera Lucis Caelum was the first woman to take throne after the death of her father and brother," read Aracelis steadily.

The lack of inflection in her voice made her sound like she was delivering a report rather than reading to a child. It also didn't help that what she was reading happened to be his report on the Kings of Lucis that he made for her several months ago. On the one hand he was flattered that she still kept the report and continued to read it despite the fact that it failed to prove her paranoia.

On the other, it was obvious that the brunette had no idea how to entertain a child. Ignis had no experience himself, but he at least knew detailed research papers were not something a toddler would be interested in. Even so, the boy in her lap didn't make much of a fuss. He seemed content with shoving the entirety of his fist into his mouth. For someone who's supposed to be mindful of her charge, Aracelis was rather negligent with how engrossed she was in her reading.

Unsurprising to Ignis, Aracelis wasn't very much different from her normal demeanor at school. The girl remains oblivious to her surroundings whenever she's caught up in reading. Curious, Ignis made his way towards her, wondering if she would notice... She didn't. He walked halfway into the room and planted himself on the matching blue loveseat adjacent to hers. The toddler in her lap looked at him curiously, but Aracelis continued to read, clueless to his presence.

Amusement filled the quiet teen. A smile bloomed on his lips as he crossed his legs and folded his hands at his knee. The toddler stared at him with a confused tilt to his head and unintentionally began a staring contest. Ignis gave the toddler a soft smile and a slight wiggle of his fingers as a wave. Eventually, the boy decided that he had stared enough and pulled his drool-covered fist out of his mouth with a pop and began tugging at Aracelis' arm.

"Awie!" called out the boy.

At first, she didn't seem to take notice of him, but children seldom give up easily. Ignis fought back a chuckle as the boy continued to pry for her attention, going as far as slobbering her face with his drool-covered hand.

"Ew Talcott! That's gross!" yelped Aracelis in annoyance. She dropped the stack of research papers on the seat next to her, freeing her hand to wipe the baby slobber from her face. As she did so, she finally took notice of Ignis. Her dark brown eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed in confusion. "What are you doing in my house?"

"I'm waiting for Selene to return my groceries," replied Ignis evenly. "I offered her my assistance when she had a mishap with her bag at the store."

"…In other words, my mother kidnapped you." She sighed. Her eyes closed briefly in exasperation before she reopened them with an annoyed roll of her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell her not to bring random strangers home?"

"This is a regular occurrence?" continued Ignis with a single raised brow.

"More often than I would like," groused Aracelis. "I apologize for my mother's behavior. She didn't say anything too embarrassing did she? She has a habit of being too friendly with people."

"I've noticed," replied Ignis dryly. "She's… very generous with her compliments."

"Yeah, she does that," agreed Aracelis.

A lull fell between them and the conversation came to an abrupt halt. Normally, the lack of conversation wouldn't bother them. They were perfectly content with sitting in silence with each other while they studied or did their schoolwork. However, they weren't in school now and neither of them had something to use as a means to engage comfortably without conversation.

"So… how's… your summer?" struggled Aracelis, clearly grasping at straws for a topic.

Between her and Ignis, Aracelis was definitely the weaker of the two when it came to social niceties. For others, it was transparent whenever she lost interest in conversing further, but for Ignis, she just felt unwittingly honest. It made Aracelis come off as cold and uncaring. He slowly learned to understand that for Aracelis, putting the effort to ask is how she tries to care. She's just dreadful at it.

"You don't have to force yourself to converse for my sake," offered Ignis.

"Oh thank god," said Aracelis in relief.

"Though, to be fair. I doubt I've encountered anything this summer that can compare to meeting your mother," quipped the taller teen as an afterthought. "I've certainly never been invited into a stranger's house out of the blue."

"… I really question you and my mother's ability to trust complete strangers," muttered Aracelis. "For all you know, she could've been a serial killer and you could have ended up baked into a gross human meat pie."

"Surely not," scoffed Ignis. "I would have been a delicious human meat pie."

"…Pft," snorted Aracelis. "That's a horrible joke."

"And yet, you laughed," countered Ignis, mirth clear on his face.

"It's a pity laugh," retorted the girl. Her wry smile contradicted her words.

"Of course it is. My apologies for mistaking it otherwise," continued Ignis seriously, but the twinkle in his eyes gave away his impish jesting.

DINGDONGDINGDONGDINGDONG!

Ignis and Aracelis glanced up, startled by the unhinged doorbell ringing. It was rather strange for someone to ring the door in such a manner. The frown on Aracelis' face made it clear that she wasn't expecting anymore guests for the day. The neighborhood she lived in didn't seem like an area where pranksters would randomly stop by to ring the door either.

When the ringing didn't abate, Aracelis stood up and plopped Talcott unexpectedly into Ignis' arms. "Hold him for a bit. I'm going to check who's at the door."

Not expecting to suddenly have a toddler in his arms, Ignis scrambled to adjust his hold on the boy. Talcott's eyes trailed after his sister, unbothered by the fact that she had abandoned him with a complete stranger. A small consolation he supposed, since that meant the younger Hester was unlikely to wail and demand to be returned to his sister. Even so, Ignis was curious as to who was ringing the door and decided to follow, at a distance. Aracelis was clearly adamant about keeping her brother away from potential danger.

To her surprise when she opened her door, she was met with an equally baffled Prompto.

"What are you doing here?" blurted out the two in unison.

The blond was utterly flabbergasted by her presence, mirrored by Aracelis. Her brows furrowed in confusion unsure what to make of the turn of events.

"I live here," she answered dryly in a matter of fact manner. "If you didn't know that, why did you ring the door like a maniac?"

"Oh! I-I'm looking for Ignis. I saw him come into this house from Gladio's window," explained Prompto.

"...Why were you looking for Ignis? Wait—better question, why were you at Gladio's?" asked Aracelis.

"Oh, OH!" Prompto nearly screeched, flailing his arms in a panic. The surprise at seeing Aracelis had distracted him as to why he originally rang the door. "Noct and Gladio were supposed to train at the Citadel, but Noct didn't want to go. I know Gladio could get really hissy if you miss out his training so I told Noct I'll go with him. You know, sort of like moral support?"

"Get to the point Prompto," sighed Aracelis.

"Well, I don't have the clearance to go into the Citadel, but the big guy said we can move the training to his house instead. So, we ended up going to Gladio's house. Which by the way is a MANSION! It's ginormous! I mean, I know Noct lives in the Citadel and that's pretty huge, but man! Gladio's house is—"

Ignis raised an eyebrow. Mansion? Prompto stated he saw him enter Aracelis' house from Gladio's window, which meant… the Amicitias lived next door. It made a whole lot of sense why they were close, now that he knew they were neighbors. He glanced down to Talcott, noticing the toddler staring up at Prompto with interest. He can't blame the toddler for being curious. It's not every day he sees his sister interact with so many new strangers.

"Ugh…" groaned Aracelis. She slipped her hand under her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Why can't those two just get along?"

"That's why when I saw Ignis, I immediately ran over here for help. They looked like they were going to kill each other before I left," finished Prompto worriedly.

"Okay…Allow me a moment." She sighed, dropping her hand to her side as she glanced over her shoulder. "You might as well come along, it's going to be a while before my mother will let you leave. She's probably baking you something from scratch in the kitchen as we speak."

Ignis made no protest; he did not want to stay alone in the house with Selene if he wasn't going to get his groceries back anytime soon. Aracelis hastily made her way back down the hall and poked her head into the kitchen.

"Mother, I'm heading over to Gladio's!"

From where he stood, Ignis spotted Selene behind the island counter in the middle of lunch preparation. He glanced off to the side and found his bag of groceries neatly packed on a barstool. Peeking out the top of the bag was a clear goodie bag of baked goods tied with an ostentatious laced ribbon.

"Do you have to go now?" asked Selene in disappointment. "Lunch will be ready soon."

Lunch? Ignis blinked in surprise. This was far worse than Aracelis' exaggeration of Selene baking him something from scratch. He was starting to see where Aracelis got her presumptuous boldness from.

"Mother, did you even ask Ignis if he wanted to join us for lunch?" sighed Aracelis in exasperation.

"But you two sounded like you were having such a lovely time talking to each other," reasoned Selene. "You never told me you knew such a nice boy."

"Don't you even start," warned Aracelis. "I know you're trying to change the subject!"

"Oh! You always ruin my fun!" pouted Selene childishly. "If you're going over to Gladio's at least take Talcott with you so I can finish cooking."

"Fine," agreed Aracelis in annoyance. Without bothering to take Talcott back from Ignis, she grabbed his arm and began to drag him along. "Come on, let's go before she decides to pull out the family album."

"Erm… It was nice meeting your Mrs. Hester," said Ignis before he was completely yanked out of Selene's sight.

"I better see you back here for lunch later!" Selene called after them cheerily. "Oh! Since you know Gladio and his little friends, be a dear and invite them over too."

Like mother, like daughter, Ignis resigned to the fate that he had no say when it came to either woman. He followed Aracelis out the door and down the front steps. The whole while, she didn't let go of his arm. Prompto eyed them oddly, unsure of what to say under the circumstances.

Ignis found himself staring down at Talcott and noted the toddler appeared to be excited at the sudden trip outside of his house. He wished he could share in the boy's enthusiasm regarding Aracelis' spontaneous actions.

Embarrassment aside, his curiosity over how close Aracelis was to the Amicitias didn't falter. Rather than going through the front door that was further down the block and ringing the bell, the girl walked up to the three-door garage and typed in the access code to open the door. Just how close were they for her to have free access into their home?

* * *

_Clack, clack! BAM!_

Gladio struck the defeating blow, knocking the prince to the ground with his large training blade. Noctis wheezed, breathless and aggravated. His cold blue eyes glared up at his shield as he pulled the neck of his tee-shirt to wipe the sweat from his upper lip.

"I'm tired," huffed Noctis in annoyance. His breath was heavy and his limbs shook from exhaustion.

"Quit bitching and start moving!" snapped Gladio as he heaved the training sword over his shoulder and waited for the prince to get back on his feet. "If you skipped out on training less, you wouldn't be so out of shape."

Noctis' shoulders tensed, heckled by the Amicitia's words. His teeth clenched and the scowl on his face deepened. He glanced to his weapon for a brief moment before he tossed the training sword aside and defiantly plopped down to the ground with his arms and legs crossed.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Gladio, his voice low and strictly controlled.

"Taking a break, I'm tired," repeated the prince in defiance.

"Get up and pick up your sword," ordered the older teen.

"No," stated Noctis firmly.

"Your assessment is coming up soon," growled Gladio. "With your current performance, you're not going to last through the first ten minutes!"

Much to the Amicitia's displeasure, the dark-haired teen decidedly chose to say nothing and looked away. It took all of Gladio's self-restraint to not lift his training sword and bash the prince over the head out of frustration. The wooden handle creaked under his death grip. He turned his weapon blade down before slamming it to the ground. Partly to intimidate the prince, but mostly to keep himself from attacking the younger boy.

Noctis remained unfazed. It was as if the younger teen was daring him to do his worse, knowing full well Gladio would never harm him.

_BAM!_

The sound of a door slamming echoed through the halls, but neither Gladio nor Noctis bothered to look, too busy glaring at one another. Quick angry steps sped down the halls outside. Gladio didn't need to think twice to recognize them. He's heard Aracelis walk through these halls enough times to know. Another set of steady set of steps followed her, no doubt belonging to Prompto. He had wondered where the boy disappeared to when he left the room earlier.

Gladio should have known Prompto would get Aracelis involved at some point. The younger teen always reached out to her when things went south. While Gladio could understand why she was fond of Prompto enough to go out of her way to help him, he couldn't understand why she did the same for the prince. He fully expected Aracelis to defend the prince, but to his surprise, her reprimand never came. Instead, what broke the tension in the room was the cheer of a toddler.

"Gladdy!" shouted Talcott gleefully at spotting Gladio and clapped his hands in celebration.

"You brought Talcott?" exclaimed Gladio, his attention turned away from Noctis to locate the small child.

Alongside Aracelis and Prompto was a rather flustered Ignis trying his best to hold the squirming Talcott in his arms. Determined to reach Gladio, the reckless toddler broke free, not realizing he would fall if he did so. Alarmed, the Amicitia heir darted forward to catch the boy before he could hit the ground.

"Ah-gen!" giggled Talcott, hugging Gladio as the muscular teen carefully stood up with the child cradled in his arms.

"Are you crazy? Why did you bring your kid brother here?" demanded Gladio, turning his full attention to Aracelis.

"Don't blame me, my mother told me to bring him," replied the girl bluntly. "Also, she wants you over for lunch. Prompto and the prince are invited as well."

"We're in the middle of training!" snapped Gladio.

"You want to tell my mother that?" challenged the freckled-face girl with a raised brow and her arms crossed.

Gladio gritted his teeth, knowing better than to answer. Much like Aracelis, he can't remember a time where Selene Hester wasn't in his life. Before his mother's death, she would often set him and Aracelis up on playdates and Selene would bake them copious amounts of  _dainty sweet pastries_. After complications with Iris' birth and the loss of their mother, Selene became like their second mother, regularly inviting them over for meals and holiday festivities. There was no way he could refuse her request.

In the midst of his conundrum, out of the corner of his eye he noticed Noctis was no longer protesting on the ground. The dark-haired teen had gotten up and made his way to Prompto and Ignis by the door. He seemed rather pleased at the sight of Ignis, no doubt because of the tongue lashing the prim and proper teen gave him and Aracelis in their last meeting.

It was strange that the Scientia heir was present in his home. He's only met the teen twice before and they barely exchanged more than ten sentences with each other. There was a saying on how meeting someone once is chance, twice is coincidence and the third is a pattern.

"So, why is he here?" commented Gladio, nodding his head towards Ignis. "I thought you said you guys weren't a thing."

"You can blame my mother," deadpanned Aracelis. "She went to the market and came back with him as if he was part of her groceries. I swear, one of these days, they're going to end up in trouble for trusting strangers."

"… Somehow, I'm not surprised," muttered Gladio.

"Anyway," continued Aracelis offhandedly making her way behind him. She glanced to the other three in the room as she pushed the Amicitia along. "Let's get going before mother wonders why we're taking so long."

"Are you sure?" asked Prompto as she pushed Gladio pass them and into the hallway. "We won't be a bother?"

"It's too late for you to back out now," reasoned the older girl. "Once you get my mother's attention, you're not going anywhere until she's fed you and packed you  _goodie bags_  to take home. It's best to just get it over with."

Any protest they may have had was ignored. Aracelis herded the group towards her house, with her and Gladio leading the front.

"…You know you can't keep doing this." Gladio spoke lowly so the others wouldn't hear their conversation.

"I don't know what you're talking about," huffed Aracelis crossing her arms as she walked alongside him.

Behind them, Prompto was chatting away engaging both Noctis and Ignis in conversation. The prince interjected occasionally while the older teen listened patiently. Anyone looking in, not knowing anything about the group, would think they were friends.

"I'll let this one go because of Selene, but if you keep doing this, the brat prince is never going to grow," warned Gladio.

"I really don't understand why you're constantly so hard on him," said Aracelis in exasperation. "Giving him a break once in a while isn't going to ruin him."

"You don't know what—"

"BIRDIE!" shouted Talcott excitedly pointing to a bird flying overhead.

"Yes, Talcott, it's a bird." Aracelis responded dryly. The toddler grinned up at her despite her lack of enthusiasm.

"…By the way, why am I holding your brother?" asked Gladio.

"Because you're big, strong and I don't want to," stated the girl bluntly, unremorseful that she used him so readily. "So there."

Gladio snorted at her response. He should hand Talcott back just to spite her, but decided otherwise. As much as he hated how she cut in at every turn to help the prince, he appreciated that she came in when she did. With how Noctis behaved, he was almost tempted to murder the boy for his flippant attitude. Not that Gladio would have gone through with it. He wouldn't be much of a shield without a charge.


	7. Heartstopping

 

Back straight, eyes forward, Gladio stood attention by the ornate walls of the spacious training hall with his hands folded neatly behind his back. Noctis took his quarterly training assessment against another Crownsguard. Among the audience for the evaluation were King Regis, his shield Clarus Amicitia and a number of royal advisors, all stone-faced and unimpressed.

The Amicitia heir fought back a grimace watching the proceedings. As the prince's personal trainer, he could tell the younger boy was starting to tire. His stamina was far from ideal. In a moment of desperation and exhaustion, Noctis chucked his weapon at his opponent. A flash of blue light streaked through the air followed by a soft explosion.

Noctis reappeared, letting out a tired battle cry and drove his sword down at the Crownsguard. The man saw through his attack and parried easily with a flick of his wrist. The raven-haired teen's weapon was diverted. His blue eyes widened in alarm when he found himself stumbling forward at the momentum. His opponent took the chance to close the distance and slide behind him to deliver a firm blow to the back of his head with the blunt hilt of the sword.

A choked scream escaped Noctis' lips. Losing his grip on his weapon he crumpled to the ground wheezing in pain. With the prince down, the Crownsguard paused and glanced up to the king for further instruction. King Regis closed his eyes and waved a hand to signal the end of the assessment. The guard dutifully raised a hand to his chest and snapped his feet together, painfully stiff in manner. The man bowed before turning his heel and taking an empty position by the wall, much like Gladio.

With the exception of Noctis' heavy breathing, no other individual dared to utter a sound. As part of tradition for the assessment, no one was to interject until the royal of interest recomposed themselves from the test. Regardless how disappointed they were at the performance, they were all required to wait until the prince recomposed himself and regain his footing.

This wasn't the first time he's failed and it was clear in the prince's body language. Despite the tension in the room, the aloof prince remained indifferent. Noctis took his time catching his breath, leisurely dragging himself back onto his feet. By the time the younger boy managed to stand attention to his audience, both he and his shield knew the assessment had ended in failure. There was nothing they could say that he hasn't already heard and he didn't care. Even so, Gladio waited with trepidation for Regis to finally make his statement.

...Except the reprimandation never came. Much to Noctis and Gladio's surprise, King Regis stood from his seat and left the room in silence, leaving only the sound of his receding footsteps echoing the vast hall. In all the times Noctis took his assessments, there was always an order to the proceedings. The prince would fight, fail and then get reprimanded for his failings before getting suggestions on needed improvements. Never once had the king walked out without a word. Noctis, who had shown nothing but disinterest up to this point, stood stunned. He watched as slowly, one after another, the rest of the audience in attendance emptied the room until the only ones left were the prince and his shield.

The two glanced to one another as if silently trying to make sense of what's happened. The expansive room suddenly felt all the larger with their uncertainty. A dark sullen gaze met a perplexed watery one, neither had the answer. Instead, they found a mutual silent agreement.

Something was different about this assessment. The two were far from friends, but for the first time they were akin to comrades, locked in the same dread. It didn't feel right for Gladio to move, so he waited. They stood in a heavy silence before the prince finally worked up the nerve and turned to leave. The shield followed silently, his steady footsteps mirror after his charge as they exited the room. What waited for them on the other side of the door was the king's shield, Clarus Amicitia.

"Your highness," greeted the older Amicitia. "I need to have a word with Gladiolus."

At the request, Noctis glanced at his shield in alarm, frozen in indecision. A myriad of emotions assault him again as he tries to ascertain what he should do. The older teen's avoidant response ultimately lead him to disperse. Clarus waited until the prince was out of sight before he returned his attention back to his son.

"Gladiolus, you're relieved of your Crownsguard duties effectively immediately," informed Clarus coldly.

"WHAT?" exclaimed Gladio in disbelief.

"This is the prince's eighth failed assessment." Clarus began to explain.

"What does that have to do with me?" snapped the teen.

"Do not your raise your voice at me!" boomed the older Amicitia. "The prince's training was your responsibility. His failing is your failing."

"But the little shit kept skipping training!"

_SLAP!_

The sound of Clarus' backhand resonated in the hall. His son stood stunned, his face stinging from the slap. Clarus lowered his hand, an annoyed exhale escaped his lips as he lowered his hand.

"I'm disappointed in you Gladiolus. I thought I raised you better than to give excuses." Clarus turned his back and began walking away. "Get out of my sight."

Fist clenched, he stomped off down the other hall with every intention to leave. When he turned the corner, he was unexpectedly met with a wide-eyed Noctis. Unknown to the the Amicitia father and son, the prince remained within earshot, but out of sight, listening through the whole exchange. Too upset to speak, Gladio stormed pass the younger boy, unaware of Noctis' loss for words.

* * *

Ever since the unexpected encounter between Ignis and Selene, Aracelis found a decorative box of freshly made cookies and pastries shoved into her arms every single morning. Her mother insisted she share a box of "diabetic goodness" with the quiet teen at school. Though, it was more likely her mother was enamored by the fact that a _sweet boy_  like Ignis was friends with her.

Annoyance over her mother's doting nature aside, Selene's involvement turned out beneficial towards building a stronger relationship with Ignis. There wasn't much they could talk about during their lunch break since Aracelis lacked any other mutual interests with Ignis and her fellow classmates. Having her mother's cooking as a common point of conversation was immensely relieving.

If need be, she might even consider involving her mother further at a later date. Surely, the prince's advisor-hopefully to be true once again soon-would be lured in by the prospect of learning new dishes. After all, who was Ignis without his recipes? For him to remain uninvolved in cooking felt wrong. It wouldn't be right for him to be stripped of his iconic declarations after obtaining a new recipe. All in all, she was having an excellent day.

No one could fault her for nearly humming when she pulled her car into the garage on the Amicitia property parking in her usual spot. Once her car was locked up, Aracelis shouldered her messenger bag before making her way out of the garage. As she walked across the short stone path towards the side door into the Amicitia household, the sound of something being violently swung whistled through the air. A familiar grunting caught her attention before she changed direction and made her way towards the backyard down the stone path.

Once there, she caught sight of Gladio. Her childhood friend was shirtless, sweat glistening off his sculpted form, accentuated by the pervasive afternoon sun. Confusion crossed her face as she checked her watch. It was far too early for Gladio to be home. It was unlike him to skip out on his duties, despite how much he despised Noctis. Something was wrong.

At a closer look, she noticed his furrowed brows and gritted teeth. Her friend was upset. More so than usual. There was no rhyme or reason to the older teen's swordplay, as if mindlessly swinging at an invisible enemy. The lack of control was disconcerting. She walked closer until he took notice of her. At her presence he halted his aimless swinging.

"Hey," greeted Gladio flippantly, stabbing the training blade into the ground. Without a second look at his friend, he moved to grab the towel hanging off the patio chair.

"You okay?" asked Aracelis, crossing the grassy lawn.

He fell silent, burying his face into the towel to wipe away his sweat. His lack of response was worrying. While he was busy with the towel, Aracelis moved to grab the bottle sitting on the patio table. She readied herself to hand it to him when he was done, but stopped when she noticed the swelling on his face.

"...What happened there?" She reached up to touch his swollen face, but the taller teen pulled away before her hand made contact.

"It's nothing," dismissed Gladio, plucking the bottle from her hand and popped the cap off. He lowered his head and turned over the bottle allowing the cool water to wash over him.

"That doesn't look like nothing," commented Aracelis skeptically. "Did Noctis manage to land a blow on you or something?"

"As if," scoffed Gladio. He capped the bottle and swept his water drenched hair back. "I could stand still all day and he still wouldn't be able to hit me. This-" He paused to gesture to his face. "-is from dad."

"What!" shouted Aracelis in disbelief. "Why would he hit you?"

"...Can't say I didn't deserve it." He muttered, glancing away and not meeting her gaze. "It's my fault the brat failed his assessment eight times in a row. I should've been stricter. This is nothing compared to being taken off Crownsguard duty."

Aracelis' face began to pale as she digested his words. Eight times… the prince failed his assessments eight times in a row. From what she could remember through her random conversations with Gladio, these tests were given quarterly throughout the year. For him to have failed eight times meant that he has been doing poorly for the good part of two years.

In the six months' time that she's known him, Noctis could have only taken the assessment twice, which meant her initial assumption of the discord between the prince and his shield was incomplete and, dreadfully wrong. Gladio was not only upset at Noctis because of his own high expectations, but unknown to her, the prince wasn't even up to normal standards. With the older teen off Crownsguard, he was no longer the prince's shield. Not only did Aracelis' interference exacerbate the problem by encouraging him to skip out on his training sessions with Gladio, she inadvertently took away the prince's strongest fighter.

"No…" whispered Aracelis, shaking her head and refusing to accept this as fact.

"...Arie?" inquired Gladio curiously when he noticed the steely look crossing her face.

"No." Aracelis repeated once more, this time with determination. She turned her heel and made her way back to the garage.

Startled by the shorter girl's vehemence, the frustration the older teen felt previously was replaced with confusion. He didn't expect his childhood friend to react as strongly as she had. Even so, he made no move to stop her. Partially because he trusted her to not do anything rash while angry, but mostly because he really wasn't in the mood to chase after her with the day he's endured.

Unbeknownst to him, brash action was exactly what she intended to do. The moment she got into her car, Aracelis pulled up the chart she created to keep track of the prince's arcade hopping habits with her phone. She had hope that getting the prince and his retinue back together again was all she needed to do to steer the world's narrative back into place. How wrong she was to humor such a naive notion.

Her presence alone had created a rippling effect. There was no way she could have foresaw this outcome. Nevertheless, she wasn't any less angry with herself for not proactively forcing these knuckleheads back to their rightful places. She was done being complacent. Subtly be damned, she will fix this.

From the Amicitia estates to the arcade, it took Aracelis no more than twenty minutes to drive there with her vicious road rage. She paid an exorbitant amount at the closest parking lot before storming into the arcade like an angry wraith. It didn't take long for her to find Noctis. The prince usually partook in the zombie shooter games on the chance that she might show up to join him.

When he spotted her, a faint half smile tugged at his lips as per usual. However, when he noticed the livid expression on her face, the smile quickly dropped. He took a step back when she invaded his personal space.

"I am this close to slapping you senseless," threatened Aracelis in a near growl. Each enunciated word was filled with more venom than the prince had ever heard come from her. "Talk to your father and get-Gladio's-job-back."

Noctis paused, frowning as he decided on how to respond to her demands. Contrary to his laid back demeanor, he wasn't one to shy away from confrontation.

"Why should I?" challenged the prince. "He's probably happy that he doesn't have to deal with me anyway…"

"Happy?" sneered Aracelis. "You think that lug of muscle is happy that he got fired from a job that he trained his whole life for? Gladio is an Amicitia. His family has served the Crown for generations without fail. For him to be  _fired_  from his position, do you know what that means to him?"

"So what?" snapped Noctis in retort. "It's just an old nonsense tradition anyway. He could do something else now."

"Listen here you little shit!" growled Aracelis. "If not for you skipping out on your training with him and failing your assessment, none of this would have happened!"

Noctis' eyes harden at her words. He takes a willful step forward, reclaiming his invaded space. "You're no better than me. In fact, you  _encouraged_  me to skip out on training!" With the gun from the zombie shooter game still in his hand, he thrust the controller forward to emphasize his point.

Aracelis opened her mouth to retort, only to snap it shut in frustration. The younger boy wasn't wrong. In fact, she was at fault for not only encouraging him, but also advising him on how to best avoid Gladio. She took in a hissing breath through her teeth and clenched her fists at her sides to keep from punching the royal brat in the face.

"This is  _my_  fault, I will attest to that," admitted the girl forcefully. "However, unlike you I am trying to correct the wrongs I've done. I am taking responsibility for my actions. What about you,  _prince_?"

"As if I haven't noticed my own failing!" He spat. "Do you think I enjoy the fact that every action I take has consequences?"

Aracelis became tight-lipped at his words. This was actually a sentiment she was beginning to understand perfectly. She and the prince shared more in common than she would care to admit at the moment.

Noctis continued, looking her straight in the eye. "I watched him get fired. I hate that others get punished over my mistakes. It's not all fun and games being a prince!"

"Yet, a prince is what you are," interjected Aracelis.

"I never asked for any of this!" exclaimed Noctis.

Aracelis frowned, this argument was quickly getting nowhere. She needed to take the reins and force it… No, force  _everything_  back in the right direction.

Aloof demeanor aside, the prince was obviously guilt ridden by his failings. The older girl narrowed her eyes in thought. If he felt bad that his shield was punished on his behalf, the situation wasn't unsalvageable. She simply needed to convince the prince to resolve the matter, instead of opting for his usual habit of avoiding all of his problems.

"Whether you like it or not, all actions have consequences, whether you are the prince or not." She began evenly, her voice sounded almost understanding. The wheels in her mind were in motion as she thought of what to say next. "But what do you think will happen now that Gladio is no longer your shield? Someone else will have to take his place. Chances are, that someone will have to be within the Amicitia family. And guess what? That only leaves one other person. The only available option would be his ten-year-old sister, Iris."

Despite his previous agitation at their heated exchange, Nocits listened attentively to her words. At the mention of Iris' age, he looked away, folding his arms uncomfortably. It was one thing for him to be angry at his tormentor, but Iris was faultless. He's never even met her.

At his physical reaction, Aracelis could see she had the advantage. Who's to say that guilt couldn't be a good motivator?

"Being a king's shield is a life commitment." Aracelis expounded. "Iris will have to throw away the life she knows now. Instead of being a care free little girl, she will now have to completely devote herself to making sure she could protect  _you_. Not only will she have to endure the training Gladio received at  _half her age_ , but she will have even less time to do so. You said you never asked for any of this, but what about Gladio and Iris? Did they ask for this?"

The prince remained silent. His gaze averted and his arms tightly crossed, he showed every sign of being closed off. Aracelis cautiously hoped that every word was having the desired effect. "Can you honestly tell me that you are okay with this?"

When Noctis refused to speak once more, she was certain there was no point in going any further with the boy. His guilty reticence was clear. Aracelis stayed for a moment longer only to cement her disappointment in him before making her exit from the lively arcade. Gone from the sky was the orange hue of the afternoon sun. A soft hum came from the streetlights before they slowly flickered to life.

Aracelis rarely stayed out late enough to see the city transition to its nightlife and it wasn't likely she would do so tonight either, not after all that's happened. Once she got to the parking lot to retrieve her car, she opted to go straight home rather than to her grandfather's office. Against Selene's worried protests, the frustrated girl skipped out on dinner and locked herself in her room for the rest of the night. The transcribing busywork could wait until the following morning. Any time she lost could be made up before she goes to school.

Door locked, she tossed her messenger bag viciously into her chair. Her hands buried into her hair, ruffling it into a disarrayed mess. She paced in place, chest tight with the threat of a blood curdling scream. Not wanting her mother to hear, she pulled her hands away from her hair and reached for the giant teddy bear by her bay window.

All she could do to muffle her aggravated scream was to shove her face against the bear's plush body.

"You fucking dumbass!" She screamed until her voice became hoarse. Her fists smashed against the bear's cotton body until she fell into fitful exhausted slumber. Even with the worst of her screams muffled, it did little else to comfort her stress-filled mind.

What was supposed to be an excellent day became a heart stopping nightmare.


	8. Goody Two-Shoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Fair warning, this is a long chapter. xD

_5:00 AM_

Gladio found himself staring blankly at his ceiling. Normally, he would be up and about preparing for Crownsguard duties. But today? He was no longer a part of Crownsguard. There was no point in him getting up early.

He considered staying in bed all day since he had nothing better to do. Except… he was wide awake and restless. So, without a second thought, he got up and started his morning workout. Pushups, pull ups, handstands and the like were all done in succession one after another. Apart from his steady breathing and grunting no other sound disturbed the morning silence in his room.

By the time he was done a sheen of sweat accumulated over his body. Dawn broke and the sound of birds chirping could be heard outside his window. He spared a glance out when passing by his chair to pick up his towel. From a young age, he and Aracelis both realized his room overlooked hers. Neither of them could see much into each other's room due to the angle of their windows, but they could glean enough to know whether the other was present.

Gladio paused when he noticed something different. The giant teddy bear that usually sat at the ledge was missing. As a child, Aracelis had taken to positioning the bear randomly in an attempt to convince him that it was alive. Probably to get back at him for winning the bear and gifting it to her when she didn't want it.

The memory lingered in his thoughts briefly, but ultimately he dismissed it in favor of washing up after his workout.

_6:30 AM_

The prince's former shield sat alone at the kitchen counter. His legs wide, back slouched against the seat with one arm draped over the chair's back. His other rested on the counter nursing a cup of coffee as he watched the steam dance above the cup. His father Clarus had already left for the Citadel and it was still far too early for Iris to be awake. For Gladio to actually sit down and have a full breakfast of eggs, pancakes and sausages while leisurely drinking coffee was unheard of. His early Crownsguard duties often left him with only enough time to wolf down a large bowl of oatmeal, a couple of boiled eggs and a protein shake. His heavier meals were usually during lunch or dinner.

The heaviness of his breakfast felt unsettling in his stomach. Gladio kept his downcast eyes on the fading steam from his cup, ignoring the empty plate covered in a residue of thin film grease from the food. He tried to think of what to do next, now that he was done with breakfast.

Since he was no longer a Crownsguard, he didn't need to go through his morning patrol route around the Citadel. He could forget about attending the debriefing meetings with the rest of the Crownguards before lunch. He needn't prepare for the prince's daily training regime in the afternoon when the royal brat returned from school. He—Gladio shook his head. Those weren't things that he could do.

What did he normally do during his free time? The Amicitia heir frowned in thought. Apart from training, romance novels and monkeying around with Aracelis and his sister Iris, there was little else he could consider a hobby. There was no time for such a thing in his life when he was still in Crownsguard. Now that he was essentially fired, he suddenly found himself with more time than he's ever previously had. He supposed he'll have to find something else to do, now that he's no longer the prince's shield, but…

"...What do I do?" murmured Gladio, quiet and filled with uncertainty.

"Ah, young master Gladio, good morning." Jared greeted him pleasantly, walking in from the hall entrance.

"Morning," returned the dark-haired teen, sitting up in his seat. He glanced to his left when the Amicitia' chamberlain took a seat next to him at the counter.

"You look troubled," continued Jared gently. "If you need someone to talk to, feel free to speak with this doddering old man."

"...So you heard," muttered Gladio darkly. His eyes returned to the steam coming from his cup. He didn't want to look at Jared on the chance the older man's eyes reflected any semblance of pity.

"I understand nothing I say can make a difference, but fret not young master. This is merely a setback and nothing more." Jared reassured.

"A setback?" repeated Gladio in disbelief. " _This_  is far from a setback! I've been trained my whole life to be the brat's shield, but now? I'm not even part of Crownsguard and—!"

The aggravated teen forced himself silent. His nose flared, taking in a deep breath. His amber eyes lit with fury. The only thing he could do to keep himself from losing control and smashing his fist into the counter was to grasp tightly to his cooling cup of coffee. He won't lose control in front of Jared. He won't embarrass himself even further with what he perceived as his biggest personal failure.

Jared let out a soft sigh, hands folded neatly atop the counter. A wistful expression crossed his face as he glanced to the ceiling thoughtfully.

"The Shield of the Crown is a long standing tradition to the Amicitia line," noted the elderly Hester. "It is a hefty weight to bear. I have witnessed the transitioning of the position from your grandfather to your father Lord Clarus. Trust me when I say I would have been honored to see that role passed onto you."

His words didn't make Gladio feel any better. Not only did the young Amicitia fail to secure his position, but he's also failed to upkeep the line of succession for his family. If anything, Jared may have worsened his mood.

"However," interrupted the older man, breaking the former shield out of his slow descent into self-loathing thoughts. "If the fates decided another path for you, then maybe you're meant for something even greater."

"...Something greater?" The solemn teen frowned in thought.

What could be greater than to devote his life to the crown and prove his worth? All his life, he never considered anything beyond the role of the king's shield. He didn't dare humor the thought whenever it came up. Now? He was no longer bound to the crown.

"Whatever it may be, I do believe that you will excel. Things may seem bleak now, but you are young. Think of this experience not as a failure but as an opportunity," advised the older man fondly.

"...When you put it that way," murmured Gladio absently. "I guess getting kicked off Crownsguard isn't literally the end of the world."

"The world is a big place young master," chuckled Jared, giving the young Amicitia a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "When one door closes, another will open. You just have to keep an open mind."

"Yeah…I can do that." Gladio agreed, slowly repressing the heaviness he felt earlier. He graced the elderly Hester with a grateful smile. "Thanks for the talk, Jared. It… sort of helped."

"Any time young master," returned the man before succinctly changing the topic. "Now, I do believe I was supposed to get some coffee before Aracelis finishes up and returns my office."

"...Arie's here?" noted Gladio with interest.

"The silly girl insisted she come in this morning to finish up the paperwork she left undone yesterday evening," sighed Jared with a fond shake of his head. "I told her it could wait until the weekend, but you know how she is."  
"An overachieving perfectionist?" offered Gladio.

"I prefer the term  _responsible_ ," came Aracelis' clipped response from the kitchen door. "Grandfather, I've completed the paperwork."

"Excellent," complimented Jared. He planted his hands on the counter and eased himself up from his seat. "I was just about to pour some coffee, why don't you stay for a bit before heading off to school?"

"...Sure, I can use the caffeine," murmured the younger girl, stepping further into the kitchen.

At a quick glance, Gladio noticed a severe haggardness to his childhood friend. Aracelis, who was normally bright-eyed and alert, looked lackluster and exhausted. The raspy quality to her voice was different from her usual morning grogginess. Her shoulders hung low and her steps were light and slow. The brunette plopped down in the seat next to him and slouched over the counter, burying her face into her arms.

"You look like shit," commented Gladio.

Aracelis freed up one hand to punch him in the arm. It was weak and lacked the intent to hurt. Gladio scoffed at her half-hearted response, though he could barely tell the difference. Even so, he couldn't help but notice her exhaustion. The last time she got this bad was back when she was stressed out over Prompto.

Yesterday, she left in a hurry after he told her about the prince's assessment. Her strong reaction should have tipped him off that something was wrong, but he didn't think much of it at the time. He reached out and ruffled her hair into a mess.

"Quit it!" growled Aracelis. She swatted his hand away and lifted her head to glare at him.

"Make me," grinned the older teen cheekily.

Annoyed, the brunette moved to grab his wrists, but he easily maneuvered around her and continued to tousle her hair. Her growls turned into frustrated squeals. Gladio found himself laughing by the time she started kicking his shins to get an upper hand.

"Ah, it's nice to see the two of you get along," commented Jared light-heartedly.

"Grandfather, if you call this getting along, I believe you require glasses more so than I do," retorted Aracelis darkly.

"To be fair, Lord Clarus and Lady Rose were exactly the same way during their courtship," reasoned the old man.

"I fail to see Lord Clarus acting like this buffoon," snarled Aracelis, landing one last kick on the older teen before edging one seat over.

Gladio snickered and purposefully reached out to tease her more, but the younger girl hissed and swatted his hand away. Jared chuckled, pouring two cups of coffee through the exchange. In one cup, he added only a single spoon of sugar; in the other he added ample amounts of both sugar and milk.

"That's because young master Gladio takes after his mother." Jared chortled. When the elder Hester brought both cups over to the counter, Aracelis cautiously reached for the sugary concoction eyeing the older teen out of the corner of her eye. "Lady Rose was a rather spirited woman. It might actually do you some good to garner some of that spirit, Aracelis."

"What?" frowned the younger girl. "I'm plenty spirited, grandfather."

"Pft," scoffed Gladio. "Says the girl who always tries to get home before sundown."

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" challenged Aracelis.

"Now, now," eased Jared. "No need to get so riled up, but he does have a point."

"Grandfather!" protested Aracelis.

"Honestly, I don't understand why you insist on being so formal. Haven't I told you to call me grandpa?" sighed the elder Hester.

"That's because Arie's a poser!" Gladio let out a bellowing laugh when the brunette spluttered.

Strangely, he found an odd sense of accomplishment whenever he manages to make the normally straight-laced girl lose composure. Growing up, Aracelis was the type of kid who enjoyed acting mature far beyond her years. It annoyed him to see her to do so with such ease when she was younger than him. Now, that composure was preferable to the exhaustion that seems to so often plague her whenever she's stressed.

"Well, you should get going soon Aracelis," interrupted Jared in their bout of teasing the younger girl. "You have school today, right?"

"I'll head out once I'm done with my coffee," grumbled the girl. She cupped her hands over her mug hiding her face behind it in annoyance.

"I'll leave you two here then," chuckled Jared. He picked up his mug and moved to leave the kitchen. "And by the way Aracelis, you should forgo the paperwork today and take a little break. You look exhausted."

The younger Hester gave her grandfather a dismissive wave. The older man shook his head fondly at her response before leaving the room. Once gone, the kitchen fell silent. Gladio's coffee had gone cold while the smell of Aracelis' intolerably sweet hot beverage wafted in the air.

"So…" started Aracelis quietly after a moment. "You're right, the prince  _is_  a brat."

"Uh..." Gladio glanced to her in surprise, not expecting her to badmouth the prince. "What brought this on?"

"...I found the prince yesterday and threatened to slap him silly," muttered the girl behind her cup. "Had I known he was doing so poorly I might have done it sooner."

"You threatened to slap him?" An amused and disbelieving snort escaped the Amicitia heir.

"Told him to get his ass in gear and go talk to his father to give you your job back… Not sure if any of it got through to him, but… I did what I could." Aracelis' eyes avoided his as she raised the mug to her lips and took a deep gulp.

Had she looked, she would have seen bewilderment clear on Gladio's face. He's gotten so accustomed to her siding with the prince at every turn, he didn't know how to take this change of heart. It wasn't until much later that he realized, this was the closest Aracelis had ever gotten to giving him a genuine apology. At the moment however, he felt a sudden warmth fill the cold disappointment in his chest. It was nice to have his friend side with him after all this time. Maybe her grandfather was right, losing his position in Crownsguard might not be the worst thing in the world.

"Don't worry about it," dismissed Gladio. "Being the brat's shield sucked anyway. Getting fired… I guess it's not that bad. At least I don't have to deal with his royal pain in the ass anymore."

He intended for his words to alleviate some of that exhaustion-inducing stress plaguing his friend. However, what it actually did was much worse. Aracelis nearly choked on her drink and fell into a coughing fit. She slammed the ceramic mug loudly onto the counter freeing up use of her hands to keep herself from spewing all over the place. It was pure luck the mug didn't shatter upon impact.

"W-WHAT?" coughed the younger girl in disbelief the moment she managed to swallow her coffee. "You can't mean that, can you? Being the shield—that's… that's what you wanted all your life, isn't it?"

"Why do you sound more upset than me?" frowned Gladio, finding it strange that she would get this upset over something that he was starting to get over.

"Because… the shield will always be an Amicitia. If you're not the prince's shield, then Iris is going to become the next shield," reasoned Aracelis, though she did not sound completely convinced, even to herself. "Are you sure you want her to put herself in danger for the prince's sake?"

A solemn look crossed his face. It was bad when he had to deal with the spoiled brat during his term as his shield. For his little sister to put  _her_  life on the line for him would be unbearable. If the prince was more responsible, perhaps the change wouldn't be so bad, but… Gladio didn't want to think about it. It was obvious this was already stressing Aracelis. He won't let this bother him like it's bothering her.

"You're overthinking this," dismissed the older teen. "No one ever said that Iris is going to become the next shield."

"But you can't be certain of that," pressured Aracelis.

"Take the day off after school," insisted Gladio. He hopped off his chair while downing the rest of his cooled coffee.

"I don't need a day off," huffed the shorter girl.

"That's because you don't understand the concept of taking a day off," countered Gladio before gathering his cup and dirty plate. "I bet you'd hide in your room all day on the weekends if Selene lets you."

"Would not!" snapped Aracelis heatedly.

"Alright then, how about we make a bet?" grinned the Amicitia heir.

"...What kind of bet?" The cautious girl narrowed her eyes at his challenge.

"If you can stay out past midnight, you win. If you hide out in places like the library, a cafe or head home before that duration, then you lose." Gladio explained.

"But it's a school night!" protested Aracelis.

"Case and point Miss Goodie Two Shoes." The older teen chuckled. "If you win, you can continue doing  _whatever_   _it is_ that you are doing to yourself. But if I win, you have to take a break whenever I say!"

"That's hardly fair! You have nothing on the line," grounded the girl.

"Fine, if you win, I'll do whatever you want for a week. Deal?" amended Gladio, rolling his eyes.

"Hmm…" A thoughtful frown pinched her brows as she considered his counter. "Agreed. But don't think for a moment that I didn't take notice of you using this bet as a roundabout way of getting me to  _take a break_  as you call it."

"But, you still agreed because you enjoy the challenge of proving me wrong," teased Gladio.

"Expect GPS location markers every half an hour after I get out of school." Aracelis pointedly drained her cup of coffee before stacking it on top of the dirty plate Gladio was still holding. "I  _will_ own you for a week, mark my words!"

Gladio fought back a hearty laugh as he watched the younger girl storm out of the kitchen, grim determination clear on her face. He has no doubt the bet was lost the moment he issued the challenge. However, it was a reasonable price to pay for his dear friend to regain some of the energy she lost through stress.

* * *

_9:00 AM_

An early September breeze fluttered through the open windows of a sleepy classroom. Prompto, along with many of his fellow classmates, found it difficult to stay awake amidst their instructor's droning lecture. Summer break may have ended a week ago, but a number of them were still having trouble adjusting to school life after a long leisure break.

Time and time again, the blond found himself glancing across the room to see if Noctis had also fallen prey to the drowsy atmosphere. He seemingly hasn't, as the prince was wide awake and staring aimlessly out the window. Any other time, the act wouldn't be alarming, but Noctis had been acting strangely since yesterday.

Towards the majority of their peers, the raven-haired teen was often quiet and reserved. Apart from a  _polite smile_ , no one in school got to see what Prompto saw when they hung out. They weren't privy to his sly grins and the inescapable sudden outburst of laughter. It made the blond secretly proud that he was able to monopolize it for himself.

Except… that also meant not many people would be able to tell if there was something wrong with his friend. Prompto's worried blue eyes lingered on Noctis. He didn't know how to help. He wasn't strong like Gladio or self-assured like Aracelis. Heck, he can't even pull off being calm and composed like Ignis. He was just the shy fat kid that somehow became friends with the prince.

Well… not as fat now. He glanced down to the soft bulge at his stomach and poked it absently. Compared to the beginning of the year, he had slimmed down quite a bit thanks to Gladio's instruction and the countless training sessions where he tagged along with Noctis over the summer.

Lips pressed thin, Prompto grimaced at the thought. It seemed like he was always getting help from one person or another… Everyone's favorite  _charity case._  Self-consciously, he adjusted the wristband hiding the barcode on his wrist. From a young age, his parents had told him to keep it out of sight. As a child he didn't think much of why he had this strange tattoo, but as he got older he realized the severity of its existence.

No parent would mark their child in such a manner, which lead him to believe his parents must have adopted him when they saw it. With the amount of philanthropy they involve themselves in, he wouldn't be surprised. Not to say he wasn't thankful. It was one of the reasons he tried not to begrudge them for disappearing, weeks at a time. They were being kind and generous… much like everyone else who's helped him so far.

Prompto snuck another glance at Noctis. He wished he knew how to help.

_12:00 PM_

"Hey Noct, ready for lunch?" Prompto chirped with as much cheer as he could muster. Once their morning classes were over, he skipped over to the vacated seat in front of the prince and plopped down with his bagged lunch in hand.

"...Don't really feel like eating," murmured Noctis absently without looking at him. It didn't seem like he noticed the other teen at all.

"Oh…then… do you want to go for a walk? I mean, you don't have to, but…" Prompto bit his lower lip, struggling to find the right thing to say, only to find no words fit the situation.

While he fumbled through his words, he did manage to break Noctis out of his thoughts and gain his full attention. The raven-haired teen stared, puzzled as to why Prompto seemed so troubled. He said nothing as he waited patiently for his friend to finish. Unfortunately, the longer it took, the more uncomfortable Prompto became. Eventually, he gave up on trying to come up with the right words and blurted out what was on his mind.

"...Are you okay?" asked the blond worriedly. "It looks like something's bothering you. Did something happen? Do you want to talk about it? Is there anything I can do?"

Noctis blinked, not expecting the slew of concern that came tumbling out of the blond's mouth. It took a moment for him to process every question that was thrown at him. When he did, the prince couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face.

"Nah," dismissed Noctis lightheartedly. "I just failed a test, it's nothing to worry about."

"We had a test?" Prompto's voice rose in alarm. "When?"

"It's more of a  _royal_  test," shrugged the prince nonchalantly. "It's no big deal. Not like it's my first-"

"There are tests for royalty?" gapped Prompto in amazement. "What do you get tested on? What happens when you fail? Wait… If you fail, does that mean you're no longer the prince? Do you get replaced? How does that even work? Where would they even get a new prince?"

A snort escapes Noctis at the excitable teen's escalating questions. The somber expression previously on his face faded completely, leaving a wry grin in its place. He found it difficult to remain morose when confronted with such genuine curiosity.

"It's a series of tests on how princely I can act. If I fail enough times, they'll demote me to commoner and enact a citywide talent search for the next prince of Lucis," fibbed the raven-haired teen dryly, putting every effort to keep a straight face as he spouted blatant fabrications. "It'll be done in a TV game show format and aired every Sunday, prime time. Everyone's eligible of course, so… maybe even  _you_ can be the next prince."

"Really? That's a thing?" Prompto responded, leaning in with such sincere amazement that it sent Noctis keeling over his desk in an attempt to stop himself from laughing.

"...No," answered Noctis, amusement clear in his voice and a smile wide on his face. His body shook in his efforts to contain it, but ultimately he failed, breaking out in hearty laughter.

"Wha... H-hey!" huffed Prompto, pouting at being teased.

"Man, how gullible are you?" laughed Noctis, wiping a stray tear from his eyes. "I mean, you should've caught on the moment I started listing broadcasting times. Seriously!"

"Well,  _excuse me_  Prince Noctis for being a pleb and uncultured to your royal ways," scoffed Prompto, haughty and indignant as he crossed his arms.

Noctis sniggered, fighting off the last of his giggles. At the sight of the prince smiling again, any annoyance he may have felt at being teased melted away. He'd endure the embarrassment a thousand times over if it made his friend happy. Unfortunately, the moment was short-lived. Once the raven-haired teen managed to recompose himself, his face fell and his blue eyes grew dim once more.

"So…" Prompto tried again, when it looked like Noctis had fallen completely silent. "Joking aside, is failing bad? Do you get in trouble for not doing well?"

The conversation fell silent again, but this time Noctis was looking at him. There was an air of uncertainty surrounding the quiet boy. The way he looked at Prompto was unlike all the other times he's turned his attention to him. There was no teasing, no playfulness, just… uncertainty. The only way Prompto could describe this was as if his friend was  _really_  looking at him for the first time, like he really mattered in some way.

"...I don't get in trouble whenever I fail… not really, the most I've ever gotten was a scolding." Noctis murmured when he finally resolved whatever debates he may have had in his head while staring at Prompto. "But… that just means others get punished because of my failures."

"Oh…" whispered Prompto, quiet and understanding.

It finally made sense to him as to why Noctis had been acting so strange for the last two days. His friend was upset and guilt-ridden because someone was being punished on his behalf. Prompto would feel the same way too if he did something wrong and he received nothing more than a chastise while someone else got the brunt of the punishment.

"Um… I'm not sure if this helps, but when I screw up… I kinda just own up to it, you know? Like… 'My bad. I screwed up, it's my fault.' I mean, not to say that you're not honest or whatever, just… that bad feeling kinda weighs on you after a while and owning up and trying to fix it can help… sometimes?  _Maybe_? I'm not even sure what I'm talking about anymore." Prompto laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

His offered advice brought upon a pensive look on the prince's face. Noctis curled the back of his knuckles against his lips thoughtfully. At some point he had accepted his failed assessments as part of the norm. There was never a reason for him to improve when the worst he's ever gotten was a mere scolding. He's learned to tune out the disappointment and pretty much anything that disinterested him.

"...It's worth a try," murmured Noctis. A smile quirked up at the corner of his lips as he turned to Prompto. "Thanks, I didn't know I needed that."

He appreciated the blond's frantic concern. Despite not knowing what had happened or if he could even help, Prompto's offer was touching. Vice versa, the prince's words brought upon a warm flutter that tugged at the freckled teen's chest. He was useful! The blond had no clue what he said to help, but he felt accomplished. He pushed down the bubbling desire to laugh as the corners of his eyes crinkled and a bright toothy grin enveloped his face.

"Always here to help, buddy!" chirped Prompto happily.

_4:00 PM_

With Noctis in better spirits, Prompto felt less insignificant when his invitation to hang out after school was declined the second day in a row. Since his afternoon was free, he decided to wander about the city, taking photographs. It has been too long since he indulged his favorite hobby. Nowadays, most of the photos in his camera were of him and Noctis fooling around during afternoon breaks or at the arcades.

"Princes will be princes," murmured Prompto as he flipped through the snapshots in his camera. He shook his head fondly when he spotted a photo of Noctis cringing at a plush smiley faced carrot in his arms.

Prince… The smile dropped from his face as a sense of worthlessness slowly crept up on him. In the grand scheme of things, who was he to the prince? A friend? For now, but in a year? In five years? What then? Sure, they're friends now, but eventually, their paths will separate. Noctis had his princely duties and responsibilities and he… He had no clue what he was going to do with his life after high school. Theoretically, he could try to apply to the same university as Noctis, if the prince intended to further his education before taking on his duties as the Crown Prince. After that? He had no idea.

He knows it's ridiculous to think so far into the future when they've barely even entered their second year in high school, but—

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK!

Prompto yelped, clenching a hand to his chest in terror as he turned his attention behind him. In a red vehicle sat a dark-haired young woman with her hand firmly planted on the horn. A thick white stripe accented down the roof of the convertible with matching stripes decorating the side. It felt very much like a race car. A mischievous grin dominated her face when she caught his attention and she stuck her head out the window.

"YO BLONDIE!" shouted the young woman gleefully. "Looks like I almost ran you over again! Where you going? I'll give you a ride."

His blue eyes widened in terror and his fair complexion paled even further at the sight of the driver. It was her… It was really her! The pretty girl who ran him over with her car and sent him to the hospital. She was also the person took him there. Despite the many months separating him from the accident, that memory still haunts him.

After running him over, she hauled him into her car, joking and laughing at his good fortune of not being killed on impact. Then she floored the accelerator, racing her car to the hospital. She even chatted up a storm on the way there, occasionally pulling her attention away from the traffic to speak to him. It was all very exciting—but in a bad way. The blond was certain that he watched his pitiful life flash before his eyes enough times to call them reruns.

"J-just heading ho—GOING FOR A JOG!" Prompto changed his answer immediately, too scared of the girl to actually tell her the truth. "You know me, always jogging… Yep, that's me—the jogger."

"You're going to jog...in your school uniform?" deadpanned the older teen, obviously calling out his poorly thought out lie.

"Erm, yes?" insisted Prompto. He internally begged to the gods, the heavens and whatever else that was listening to his prayers to have her accept the lie. He promises to be a better person. He'll take up charity work! He'll offer up his left kidney or-

"...More power to you I guess." She gave a dismissive nonchalant shrug. The glossy colored lips of the flashy girl grinned brightly and her eyes relit with mischief and glee. "Still! I never thought I'd _run into_  you again. HA! Get it? Run in? Because I  _ran_  you over?"

"Eh-heh… I get it… funny..." replied Prompto nervously, unable to find relief despite how willingly she accepted and dismissed his lie. She honestly didn't seem to care whether or not he was lying.

Heck, it didn't seem like she cared about much at all. Whereas Aracelis was terrifying on how controlling she could get when worried, this girl was petrifying with how little she seemed to care. He may not have known her for more than the duration they shared in her car, but there was something  _sincerely insincere_  about her.

What's worse, the playful lilt to her voice didn't help ease the unsettling feeling beginning to creep beneath Prompto's skin. Something about the way she looked at him made him feel like less of a person. As if he was nothing more than another toy, waiting to be broken.

"Well, it was nice chatting with you, but I gotta get going! Still have like… a bunch of...laps to do! So um—"

_Bzzz...bzzz..._

"Hold that thought," interrupted his assailant, pulling out her phone and flicking the screen to life. Her eyes darted across the screen briefly before her eyes widened and a delighted giggle escaped her lips. "Well, isn't this interesting. Hey blondie, how do you feel about going to a car race?"

"NO!" Prompto shouted before quickly adding. "I mean it's not really my thing."

"You sure?" She cocked her head, waiting for a change of heart. Her thumbs were still tapping away in a response text.

"YEP!" Prompto waved his hand. "You sound like you enjoy that! So… have fun! I'm… I'm gonna just go! See you!"

Without waiting for a response, the blond hightailed away from the red car. Every part of his instincts screamed to get free as quickly as possible… and he wasn't wrong.

* * *

_5:30 PM_

The library was silent and void of other students. The majority of Valetis was long gone, doing their best to enjoy the last of the dwindling summer sun before autumn completely sets in. Ignis should have done the same as his peers, but Aracelis had dropped yet another absurd conspiracy topic on him during their lunch together. While he did find the topics engaging, his patience was waning. Letting out a deep sigh, he leaned back pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

_Bzzz… bzzz…_

_"Heeeey Igster! xDDDD i'm surprised that you actually texted me! i thought you were dead or something! anyway i'll be there soon to pick you up! 333 "- Claire Auburn_

Ignis eyed the text for a moment longer before locking his phone with a click of a button. He's long grown accustomed to her overly affectionate messages. It was how Claire Auburn, daughter of an old line of barony, typically spoke to people. Much like him who will inherit the title of Count when his uncle passes, she was in line to inherit the title of Baroness at her father's passing. The girl was atrociously informal and cared little for upholding other people's personal boundaries. Quietly, he set the phone softly on the desk before glancing to his notepad and the mess of opened books strewn across three out of the six desks meant for group studies.

Unwillingly, he thought back to the day he met Claire. She had stolen her father's car for a joyride when she found him sitting at the edge of a bridge, feet dangling precariously over the railings. In hindsight, he could've easily fallen and died, but he hadn't thought much of it. To someone else, it may appear as though he was suicidal, but in actuality? He wanted to see if fear and adrenaline could pierce through the veiling of numbness in his mind.

He was… bored. Bored of the self-imposed responsibilities he's given to himself.

Since moving in with his uncle, he felt as though he was a stranger intruding in the man's life. Not that Uncle Pyralis ever said anything of the sort. The man practically gave him free reign to do whatever he pleased since they rarely spend more than ten minutes in the same room… Except, it didn't feel right for him to abuse that freedom. His uncle had taken him in when he could've easily dropped him off at an institution. It was a kindness he felt that he could never fully repay. It was why he maintained his grades and his ranking as the top student in Valetis. Why he's taken to cooking and the various chores in the house. He wanted to repay his uncle in any way that he could.

He couldn't feel anything when Claire approached him that day, with her unsettling blasé attitude. The way she asked him if he was trying to kill himself was akin to someone asking about the weather. He could no longer remember the response he gave her, but he recalls her laughing then telling him that falling off a bridge was lame and that there were better and more fun ways to get a thrill.

_Bzzz… bzzz…_

Blinking away the exhaustion, Ignis reached for his phone, stopping it from clattering and vibrating on the desk. A quick click revealed another text.

_"i'm outside! get your pretty ass over here so we can get the party started! ;)" -Claire Auburn_

Ignis raised an eyebrow. The timestamp between this text and the last one was absurdly close. He hoped that the other teen was already somewhere nearby when he texted her, but chances were she had broken several traffic violations to get to Valetis. Nevertheless, he spared a glance at the messy desk in front of him for a second longer before he tidied everything into a neat pile and returned it to a nearby cart of perused books. His research was safely packed away in his briefcase bag and tucked under his arm as he made his way out of Valetis.

As he crossed the expansive courtyard, he couldn't help but take in the familiar dullness of his surroundings.

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK!

"YO IGGY!" shouted a dark haired teen out of her striped convertible. She flailed an arm excitedly out the window to catch his attention.

"...Hello Claire." Ignis greeted her evenly as he approached her car. The girl was practically bouncing with excitement in her seat.

"Hello?" scoffed the girl. "You go MIA for months and that's all you're gonna give me?"

"Yes," replied Ignis bluntly.

"Why do you insist on being as ice cold as Shiva?" pouted the girl exaggeratedly.

"Because nothing I say actually offends you," dismissed the stoic teen.

"Eh… fair enough." Claire cackled. She thumbed towards the back of her car with a grin and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I got your clothes in the trunk. You can change in the backseat if you want."

_10:00 PM_

_Thump-thump-click_

Ignis clutched the gear lever loosely in his hand as he shifted it with practiced ease. Light from the occasional street lamp glinted off his glasses as he did his best to focus on the dimly lit road ahead. His foot held firm on the accelerator. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the needle on the speed gauge slowly approaching the red zone. His grip loosened on the steering wheel, allowing it to glide against his hands before he hastily turned the vehicle. The engine purred and the car screeched loudly as it drifted narrowly through a sharp turn.

Heart racing, blood pumping, the quiet teen righted the car, speeding after the vehicle in front of him. He was slightly out of practice, but this wasn't his first race. He eyed the opposite lane for oncoming traffic before deciding to switch over to pull ahead against his opponent. His grip tightened on the wheel, riding out the vibrations from the engine as he cut back in front of his opponent.

For a moment it seemed like the opposing car was going to rear-end him, but it swerved at the last second to avoid collision. Ignis glanced through his rearview mirror in worry, wondering if his reckless move caused his opponent to crash into the guardrail. He was half tempted to stop and turn around to check, but then he spotted the other car catching up. A relieved smile touched his lips before he decided it was high time for him to end the race. With victory in mind, he shifted gears once more and floored the accelerator.

As he neared the end, he could see the horde of rowdy spectators. The roughneck crowd was torn between cheering and groaning in dismay at the sight of his borrowed car. He made a flashy show of sending the car into a full donut before sliding neatly across the finish line.

"And the winner is—IGGY!" The ref's megaphone was loud enough for him to hear despite having none of the windows open.

Ignis shifted gears to park then pulled up the break before climbing out of the car. At his appearance, the half that was excited continued to cheer wildly and swarm to be the first to congratulate his victory. A cloud of dismay covered those who wished for his loss and some even went grudgingly to slap money into the hands of those they bet against.

"Great race Iggy!"

"Thought we'd never get to see you around these parts anymore!"

"I knew you would win!"

Tight pants, leather jacket and gelled up hair, Ignis smiled openly at their praise as he weaved through the crowd. Over time, his Iggy persona was unwittingly created among the street racers. In the car, he felt like he was on top of the world and could face anything that came his way. Outside of the car, being cheered by racing enthusiasts, he still fell back to feeling like a stranger in his skin. They had no idea of the existence of Ignis, the rule abiding top student of Valetis. The quiet teen that never felt comfortable around people. The young man that's forever stuck going through the same routine day in and day out to the point of numbness. Whereas Ignis would always play it safe and follow the rules, Iggy would break it with unbridled recklessness. It was exhilarating, cathartic and… absolutely embarrassing.

No one knew of his indulgence in this bout of delinquency. No one, that is—apart from Claire, who is highly amused by what she deems an act of two-faced hypocrisy. If he could, he intended to take this secret to his grave.

Speaking of which, something wasn't right. The abrasive girl was strangely absent, when she was normally the first to congratulate his victories. Often to claim credit for dragging him into the world of street racing. She regularly stole her father's car for joyrides and was more than happy to shove him in the driver's seat and force him into his first street race. Despite the fact that over a year ago, Ignis wasn't even eligible for a learner's permit.

Ignis glanced through the crowd in search of conflict. While he wasn't worried that she might have gotten into trouble, he was definitely concerned that she might be causing it. At a precursory glance, it didn't take him long to find the girl aggressively pinning some poor unfortunate soul against a black car. Not an uncommon sight; however, he quickly found the car to be awfully familiar and the victim in question even more so.

Fully dressed in the Valetis girls' uniform and looking utterly out of place in Claire's invasive hold was none other than Aracelis.

The sight of the brunette sent a shiver down his spine, making him want to run before she could see him. He had no doubt that if she were to discover this secret life of his, the rule-abiding girl would have more than a few choice words with him. Of the people that could have found out, she was definitely not one that he wanted to deal with. Still, he could not just leave her to the Auburn heir's less than tender care.

The fact that she came to such an event still dressed in her school uniform proved that she was woefully unprepared to deal with the likes of Claire. Aracelis may seem calm and composed to anyone watching from afar, but he liked to think he's spent enough time around her to know better. It grew clear to him that behind her usual act of cool bravado was a hidden discomfort and uncertainty.

With how her eyes darted between the rowdy girl holding her and their immediate surroundings, he was certain Aracelis was searching for a way to get out of her predicament. She's not likely to, not here in Claire's playground. Ignis breathed out through his nose and with resignation, he stood taller and made his way toward them.

"Oh come on, just one little ride," drawled Claire with faux playfulness. Her body was practically draped over the other girl as she leaned into her. "Otherwise, why would you even come to a place like this, Miss Goodie Two Shoes?"

"...She's my ride home," interrupted Ignis.

"So soon?" said Claire in mock disbelief.

"If I stay, you're just going to drag me to a party and not let me go home until dawn," retorted Ignis dryly. "Or am I wrong?"

"...Ugh, why are you so responsible?" scoffed Claire. "It's absolutely disgusting. Just get out of here."

Ignis didn't bother to respond and sidestepped around her. A bewildered Aracelis stared back at him, wide-eyed and unmoving from where Claire had previously pinned her. In her attempt to back away from Claire's invasive behavior, Aracelis was forced to lean her back flushed against the hood. Her hands and fingers were spread wide against the car to maintain her balance. Her slight panting and flustered expression forced a rising blush to his face.

To her, his presence was likely an unexpected surprise, if not his appearance. Not wanting to waste any more time, he moved forward to grab hold of her by the shoulders and usher her into the passenger seat of her car. It didn't take long for him to amble over to the driver's seat and make haste away from the race area.

As he drove, the revelry faded into the distance. A quiet lull filled the car with only the hum of the engine breaking the silence. The race site was always in a secluded area with little traffic. Apart from their car, there was little else on the road. He thought he had gotten used to spending time alone with Aracelis during their lunch breaks at school, but he supposed he had spent that time with her as Ignis.

He wary a glance to the brunette. The girl had her hands clasped over her mouth, her eyes pensive and her expression confused. She seemed almost as lost as he felt. For fifteen minutes, the silence dragged on. Ignis' trepidation grew with each passing second. Eventually, he gave up waiting for her to speak first and broke the silence.

"...Out with it, I know you have something to say," sighed the taller teen. He saw no point in trying to present himself as quiet and reserved.

"So… you street race," started Aracelis slowly.

"Yes," replied Ignis stiffly.

"As Iggy…" continued the girl, sounding as though she didn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.

"...Correct," murmured Ignis, steeling himself for the onslaught of disappointment to come.

Be it in the form of school regulations, his overall irresponsibility or whatever multitude of reasons she could come up with. He was certain she was not lacking in the creativity department. Little did he know, while he was steeling himself for disappointment, Aracelis was struggling to keep her composure. The girl's body was turned away, hand over her mouth in an attempt to hide the fact that she was restraining laughter.

When a quiet snort escaped her, Ignis' resolve melted away, replaced by confusion and dread. His eyes narrowed and his brows pinched in bewilderment. He glanced to her out of the corner of his eye. Within seconds, she keeled over burying her face in her hands as she fell into a giggling fit.

"Don't…" Trying his best to keep his eyes on the road, Ignis did his best to maintain his composure. "It—This isn't funny!"

"Iggy," she snorted, fighting desperately against the rising giggle. His protest went either unheard or ignored. "You have an alter-ego named Iggy…oh… my… god... this is amazing!"

"...You're not bothered by…" Ignis paused, unable to keep himself from drawing his attention away from the road before them to look to the girl in confusion.

"Why would I?" grinned Aracelis. "You're still Ignis even if you're secretly some sort of a racing god."

The soft, genuine smile on her face… wasn't what he expected.

"I'm glad that you see it that way." Ignis replied, a shy smile on his lips. "Though, I doubt others would think the same."

"Well, I'll have to make sure I keep Iggy a secret then," replied Aracelis dryly. "I would hate to deprive the world of its esteemed race god."

A soft chuckle escaped Ignis' lips. Despite having only seen him act as Ignis, the girl didn't appear to value one facade of him over the other. Unlike Claire who called him a faker and demanded him to let Iggy out more often, Aracelis took it in stride that he was both… No one's ever accepted both sides of him before.

However, before he could contemplate the thought further, Aracelis suddenly fell silent. Her brows furrowed and she pressed her knuckles against her lips. Ignis had no clue what caused the sudden change, but he kept a careful hold of what he allows to express on his face. Every time he glanced over to her, he could see her eyes darting rapidly back and forth as if she was mentally reviewing notes.

Her face was surprisingly expressive for someone who was silent. The fingers curled beneath her lips twitched, pressing against her palm in a manner that's reminiscent of someone counting off reasons to prove a point. Concern grew on her face with each finger she pressed down against her palm. Her knuckles still nursing against her lips, she spoke her mind.

"Racing's… kind of dangerous. One wrong move and you could end up crippled for life or worse… dead." She paused, glancing to him. "Not to say it's not cool and all, but… it'd be a waste for you to lose your life like this. You're capable of so much more than just street racing," reasoned the girl. "Heck, I bet you could probably whip the prince into a decent king, even with all his hang-ups."

Ignis found an unexpected flutter in his chest followed by a burning heat on his face. Embarrassed, he adjusted his glasses as a guise to hide his face behind his hand. He can't remember the last time someone showed him actual concern. Whereas Claire would egg him on into dangerous races, Aracelis was worried for him.

"Erm…" Ignis cleared his throat in an attempt to change the topic. Hoping the distraction would be enough to will away his flaming cheeks. "If you don't mind my asking, Aracelis, why were you at the race site? I'd say it doesn't seem like something you'd be interested in, but that would be hypocritical of me."

"Gladio implied that I was a homebody that can't stay out late," replied Aracelis. "So we made a bet. If I could stay out past midnight, he becomes my slave for a week. Part of the challenge was that I can't stay in a library or cafe in that duration. Hence, why I was there. I needed to send him my GPS marker as proof."

"I see…" murmured Ignis thoughtfully. "What happens if you lose?"

"He gets to decide when I need to take a break," scoffs Aracelis. "As if he knows anything about relaxing."

"...If you don't mind me asking, how  _do_  you relax?" asked Ignis curiously.

Aracelis fell quiet again, this time, looking out the window so she wouldn't meet his gaze.

"...Cigs." Aracelis mumbles under her breath.

"Cigs?" Ignis repeated, surprised that she actually answered, but also confused by the short phrase.

"Cigarettes," clarified the girl more firmly. She straightened her posture and glanced back to him coolly. "Problem?"

So that's why she wasn't too opposed to him racing. Insomnian law states that no one under the age of 18 was allowed to purchase cigarettes. With how rule abiding she was, Aracelis probably thought underage smoking was equally as delinquent as street racing. Though, he doubts there were many people who would go street racing before they even get a license.

At her posturing, Ignis found himself turning away to hide his amusement. It was actually kind of cute.

"Not at all." Ignis replied, his voice tinged with humor. "I'm just surprised that you managed to keep this from your mother."

"You're underestimating my mother," muttered Aracelis darkly. "I went out of my way to air out my clothes and brushing my teeth to get rid of the smell and she still somehow figured it out. What's worse, instead of screaming at me, she passive aggressively leaves me all these pamphlets stating the dangers of smoking—which I'm sure she made herself. Taped pictures of black lungs and people with holes in their throats to my door and a box of 12-step nicotine patches for quitting."

"Umm…" Ignis started, unsure how to continue, since he could tell this was a sensitive topic.

"I know she cares," quipped Aracelis when she noticed he was awkwardly silent. "She wouldn't do all that if she didn't. I just…damn it."

Aracelis let out an irritated hiss as she pressed her entire palm over her face. She went from quiet contemplation to angry in a heartbeat.

"Something wrong?" asked Ignis, confused by the sudden mood change.

"I was going to say I needed a break, but then I realized that means Gladio was right." Aracelis grumbled, pulling her hand over her mouth in frustration. "Do me a favor and don't tell him I said that… actually, don't tell him anything that I told you here. He's  _definitely_  not going to get off my case if he knows I smoke."

With how they bickered, it was obvious the two of them were close, but he was starting to see a more familial relationship between them. However, as a single child, he can't confidently say if it's akin to having a sibling. Were siblings usually secretive with one another?

"So I'm to be your accomplice?" Ignis inquired dryly.

"I'm trusting you to not betray me," warned Aracelis, looking more exhausted than threatening.

"Very well then," grinned Ignis. "As your accomplice, shall I humbly offer coffee and sanctuary at my apartment until the allotted time for your bet with Gladio comes to an end?"

"That sounds good right about now," sighed Aracelis in relief. "I'm going to make Gladio  _pay_  for banning cafes in this bet."

Ignis fought back another smile as he drove the car towards his apartment. With the tension gone, the car fell into a comfortable silence. The only sounds in the car was the hum of the engine and the occasional ticking of the turn signal. Aracelis sunk into her seat, resting her head against the window. Every now and again out of the corner of his eye, the quiet teen could see her fighting back a yawn. The brunette must be exhausted from running around for the bet. By the time they made it back to his apartment, Aracelis looked as though she could fall asleep on her feet.

"...Are you going to be okay to drive home later?" asked Ignis as they stepped into the foyer of his shared apartment.

"Just get me some coffee and I'll be fine. It's almost midnight anyway," mumbled the girl. Her voice drowsy and her eyes threatening to drift close.

"Why don't you take a seat? I'll get a pot brewing," offered Ignis, waving vaguely towards the couch towards the living area before turning towards the open kitchen.

"Sounds great," agreed Aracelis readily, making her way to the couch. He could hear her plopping down on the couch while he made his way towards the kitchen.

In a practiced motion, he went to set the kettle in the sink to fill under the tap before moving about the dark-wooded kitchen gathering what he needed for brewing. In moments, sounds of a pulsing coffee grinder, the soft clinking of a metal spoon against the glass coffee press and the clattering of cups and saucers filled the room. By the time he swung back to the sink, the kettle was filled and he turned off the tap before moving the kettle to the stove. The igniter clicked three times before the flame lit and the water was on its way to getting boiled.

As he waited for the water to heat up, Ignis found himself glancing to Aracelis who was flicking through her phone. This was his first time bringing someone to the apartment. While the surrounding circumstances were a little strange, it wasn't uncomfortable. They've shared coffee together many times before at school. The only difference now was just the location.

_Clatter…_

"...Aracelis?" Ignis glanced away from the stove at the sound, but paused when he spotted the girl slumped, her phone laid abandoned on the ground a foot away from the couch.

Confused and alarmed, he circled around the counter, only to find the girl leaning against the couch, sound asleep. All that running around must've taken a toll on the girl. She likely fell asleep due to exhaustion. Relieved it was nothing serious, he shook his head and knelt down to pick up her phone. When he rested his hand on the couch to push himself up, he found his gaze drifting back to Aracelis.

Loose bangs draped over her face and her breathing grew soft. She had a single hand laid open where her phone must've been a moment ago. The girl was so paranoid, he didn't see her as the sort to fall asleep anywhere, even if she was exhausted. For her to be able to do it so easily now must mean that she trusted him a great deal. The bangs covering her face reminded him how much she hated it whenever it fell in line with her vision. The brunette would always tuck it behind her ear in annoyance while she was in class.

Without even thinking, he brushed the loose strands back.

A sudden fondness bubbled at his chest and Ignis hastily pulled away. His face flushed red with embarrassment, but his eyes were unable to pull away from the sleeping girl.

_Ring… Ring…_

At the ringing and vibrating phone in his hand, Ignis gladly pulled away from his flustering thoughts and glanced to the screen. A snapshot of a smiling Selene appeared, tagged with the name Mother. The woman must be wondering where her daughter was at this hour. Ignis fought back a grimace, glancing to the still sleeping Aracelis. He should probably wake her up, but knowing her, she might actually try to drive while half asleep. He didn't have long to decide since the phone will likely go to voicemail if he continued to remain inactive. Taking a deep breath, he swiped his thumb over the screen to answer.

"...Hello Mrs. Hester," greeted Ignis politely, trying his best to formulate a good excuse as to why he had possession of Aracelis' phone. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but this is Ignis. I'm Aracelis' classmate. We met some time ago?"

" _Ignis?_ " repeated Selene in bewilderment for a second before her bubbly voice perked up. " _Oh! You're that sweet boy that helped me with my groceries! How are you, dear?"_

"Erm… I'm fine, thanks for asking." Ignis replied, not expecting the woman start up common pleasantries when there were more important matters at hand.

 _"Lovely! That's wonderful to hear!"_ chirped Selene.  _"You and Aracelis must be having a_ _ **study session**_ _. That girl never tells me anything nowadays. I was starting to worry when she hasn't come home yet, but if she's with you then I'm relieved! You're such a nice, responsible young man."_

"You flatter me." Despite his polite words, he grew uncomfortable under her compliments.

 _"Oh don't be so modest!"_  gushed the Hester matriarch.  _"Can you ask Aracelis when she'll be coming home?"_

"About that…" Ignis tried his best not to grow flustered or clear his throat unnecessarily. "Aracelis fell asleep just a moment ago. I can wake her, but I'm a bit concerned about her driving home while half awake."

" _Hmm… is that so?"_ hummed Selene thoughtfully.

"Mrs. Hester, I can assure you nothing happened between—" Ignis quickly tried to extrapolate on the fact that neither of them were doing anything inappropriate, but he never finished his defense.

" _Oh, don't worry about that dear, I was just teasing,"_  giggled Selene. " _But you are right and I rather not have Arie drive if she's tired. Would your parents mind if you hosted Arie for the night? Will that be an issue?"_

"...No problem at all," replied Ignis. Technically, his uncle Pyralis was away on a business trip and won't be due back until the next day, but she didn't need to know that.  
" _Wonderful!"_ cheered Selene. " _Tell her to call me in the morning."_

"Certainly, Mrs. Hester." He replied dutifully.

" _I thought I told you to call me Selene_.  _Honestly, the two of you are so ridiculously formal,_ " huffed the woman. " _Anyway, do try to come visit sometime. Arie rarely ever brings home a friend._ "

"...I'll try to keep that in mind," murmured Ignis awkwardly, wanting to end the conversation as quickly as possible. "Good night erm… Selene."

" _Good night to you too dear!"_ chirped the woman.

Once the call ended, a sigh of relief escaped Ignis. Somehow, talking to the Hester matriarch was far more nerve-wracking than any close calls he's made during a race.

_Fwee!_

At the sound of the boiling kettle, Ignis welcomed the distraction and set the phone down. There was no point in making coffee, now that Aracelis was asleep, but he still wanted the reassuring warmth of the familiar beverage. He took quick steps to the kitchen to turn off the stove before the whistling kettle could wake his sleeping guest.

However, before he could get to brewing coffee, the familiar sound of a key jiggling at the foyer caught his attention. Ignis' face paled when the door opened. His uncle was home. He shouldn't be home. He never comes home early!

The door closes, followed by a pregnant pause. His uncle must've seen Aracelis' shoes at the foyer. What may have been seconds felt like an eternity to Ignis as he waited for his uncle to leave the foyer and step into the living room. There was no way he could hide Aracelis, even if she was awake. Even so, explaining her presence in the apartment felt less stressful than why he was still dressed as Iggy.

Finally, his travel weary uncle slipped into view, luggage in tow. "...I see you have a guest," remarked his uncle Pyralis as he stepped further into the living area, immediately making note of Aracelis asleep on his couch.

"She's a classmate," explained Ignis hastily. "We had a project that… ran a bit long. She fell asleep a while ago and… I didn't want to wake her."

"Okay, just do whatever you need to do… Does her family know that she's here?" his uncle asked. He looked at neither Ignis nor Aracelis as he spoke. His attention remained with hauling his luggage.

"Yes, her mother called a moment ago and I told her we could host her for the night," replied the younger Scientia. "Uncle, I know I should have asked before bringing guests over but—"

Ignis found himself interrupted by a long involuntary yawn from Pyralis.

"Don't stay up too late," he dismissed, not bothering to give Ignis a second look as he made his way down the hall and towards his room. Ignis fell silent, watching the man's retreating back.

Despite the odd circumstances, he and his uncle still shared nearly the same old conversation. The man hadn't even reacted to him in his unusual attire. The nagging sense of emptiness tugged at his chest. His gaze drifted to Aracelis' sleeping figure on the couch, suddenly jealous that the girl could slumber so care freely. She never had to doubt whether or not her mother Selene cared. With an exasperated sigh and a shake of his head, Ignis went off to the linen closet to get a spare blanket for her.

* * *

_12:00 AM_

Tall dark shadows from the floor to ceiling windows decorated the quiet halls on the upper levels of the Citadel. Apart from the occasional Crownsguard on patrol, there weren't many other souls out and about at this hour. King Regis sat alone in his dimly lit study, mulling over the various files scattered on his desk.

Between his fingers he held a Kingsglaive acquisition request form for Gladiolus Amicitia.

A solemn look crossed the monarchs face. He had hoped Gladiolus would one day stand by Noctis' side, much like how his friend and shield, Clarus Amicitia had stood by his. As was congruent to their fathers before them, and so on. Between the perpetuate war with Nifleheim and the escalating civil unrest throughout Lucis, Regis feared that he may have prolonged this more personal matter for far too long. Both fathers wrongly concluded that their sons could eventually work out their differences. As was opined by several of his closest friends and advisors, it would simply require some more time, or greater effort, or  _harsher punitive_ action. The affair began circulating his court and it became that almost every official in the Citadel had some form of advice or opinion on the matter; from minor nobility like Lord Flavius to the Baron Sir Auburn.

Unfortunately, his extended leniency with his son only worsened the matter and it grew more dire with each passing failure. The young prince had grown more dismissive and hopeless with each assessment. In turn, his son's failures only served to worsen the discord with the younger Amicitia shield. Finally, everyone agreed that if the prince shows no visible improvement and fails once more, immediate action must be taken. With the future of Lucis in mind, Regis had no choice but to make the difficult decision.

Looking in on his father, Noctis stood outside by the entrance concealed by the darkness of the hallway. The large door into his father's study was slightly ajar. The slither of light escaping the other room danced across his face as he adjusted his posturing for a better look.

Regis breathed out deeply through his nose as he began contemplating the sensitive young prince and his future. His son had a bit of a  _finicky_  nature, from his picky eating to his choice of informal schooling, perhaps even to his retinue…He feared that he might have to consider other potential families that could procure a suitable shield replacement for his son, and breach their longstanding tradition with the Amicitias.

Noctis hovered his hand reluctantly over the ornate surface of the door, conflicted on whether or not he should knock. After much deliberation, the young prince squared up his shoulders and firmly rapped his knuckles against the hard surface.

_...Knock...knock…_

Regis glanced up from his desk when the door opened further. His expression softened when he was unexpectedly greeted with his son's uncertain blue eyes. Noctis appeared uncharacteristically humbled as he walked in and closed the door behind him. His posture lacked his usual indifferent slouch and his eyes appeared to be more alert than Regis has ever seen lately.

Rather than asking what brought on the sudden visit, the king waited patiently for the quiet prince to speak first.

"...Dad," started the raven-haired boy quietly. He did his best not to fidget and avert his gaze as he took in breath to compose himself. "I want you to reinstate Gladiolus as my shield. It… it was my fault that I failed. He did everything he could to prepare me for the assessments. I was the one that skipped out on training despite his efforts. It should be me who gets punished this time… not him." In the past, apart from a thorough tongue lashing, he'd never endure any actual punishment. In hindsight, Gladio had likely gotten the brunt of it on his behalf. The uncomfortable thought made him inwardly grimace with guilt.

An unreadable expression crossed Regis' face. Noctis stood uncomfortably stiff as he waited for his father's response.

"That…" Regis started slowly as though still debating on how to respond "...Is very mature of you, Nocits. However, I will not be reinstating your former shield."

"But-" Noctis objected.

Before he could continue, Regis was quick to raise a hand to cease any further protests. As petulant as Noctis may be at times, he recognizes the difference when he's dealing with his doting father and when he's speaking to The King of Lucis. Had it been his father, the man would indulge him and listen to his every word. The king; however, demanded to be heard above all else.

"While I am proud of your sense of integrity, I will no longer express leniency with you for your accumulated failures," reasoned the monarch. His piercing blue eyes gave no room for argument as he smoothed a hand over the transfer documents on his desk. "You _are punished_ , Prince Noctis. At the present time you have no shield because indeed,  _you failed_. Currently, you do not deserve one. I hope this will be a memorable lesson to you regarding the consequences of your actions."

Noctis remained silent, his gaze trailing after the movement of his father's hand. When he spotted Gladio's picture and the familiar Kingsglaive crest at the top of the document, his stomach dropped. It was only a day since the older teen's dismissal from Crownsguard and he had already been reassigned. Unconsciously, the prince's hands curled tightly into fists at his sides.

"I am, however..." continued Regis, "Not opposed to seeing his expulsion as…temporary."

"Really?" Noctis perked up at the possibility of absolution and turned his eyes hopefully at his father.

A small indulgent smile tugged at Regis' face as he folded his hands in front of him. "There are conditions."

"...Conditions?" repeated Noctis with furrowed brows.

"As you've already failed many times even with his help, this may be a difficult challenge for you," noted his father. "If you wish for Gladiolus to be reinstated as your shield. You will have to prove yourself in the upcoming assessments."

"Prove myself?" murmured Noctis.

"Yes, prove yourself. Above all, a king must always be trustworthy, for there are countless lives consigned to him; even the lives of those beyond the borders of his court and kingdom," Regis explained. Noctis couldn't help but shift uncomfortably under the weight of his words. "Prince Noctis, you must be able to defend yourself; and more importantly, the many whose lives depend on the constitution of your character."

"How… am I supposed to do that?" Noctis mumbled. Quiet and uncertain, he looked to his father for confidence and direction.

"... I do believe that the best way to truly comprehend something is when you must imbue it to another," Regis declared thoughtfully. "Clarus often tells me of his rather  _spirited_  younger daughter, Iris Amicitia. Apparently, she increasingly implores those around her to train her in the ways of self-defense and combat."

Noctis' brows pinched with disconcertion. He recognized the name of Gladio's little sister, but this was sounding more and more like Aracelis' prediction of the younger Amicitia sibling becoming his new shield.

"In lieu of resuming your scheduled training with Gladiolus, instead you are to train with her. Teach her everything you have learned. You are to be responsible for her growth, success and safety, as well as your own."

At the king's suggestion, Noctis' mouth gaped in disbelief. "Teaching?" Noctis said in disbelief. "Me?"

"Yes, you," noted Regis with a hint of amusement. "In the meantime, if I see visible improvements on your upcoming assessments I will consider reinstating your former shield. Is this too difficult of a task for you?"

"What? No!" grounded Noctis, stepping forward and planting his hands on his father's desk. "I can do this!"

"If you are certain." Regis waved his hand as though giving him one last chance to back out.

"... Yes," said Noctis with quiet determination. Every part of him screamed to step back and walk away. Telling him he didn't need to do this. Telling him it would be easier to just let things go on like before. He was certain now. He will stand his ground and face the consequences of his actions.


End file.
